The Letters
by Ihockey87
Summary: Sequel to 'So Much for a Winter Wonderland'. KIBBS! Gibbs realizes that raising a little girl isn't as easy as he first thought. Can he overcome the problems and successfuly create a family for himself and Kate?
1. A Rough Start

**A/N - Read 'So Much for a Winter Wonderland' first.** This is the sequel to it. You probably won't know what's going on unless you've read that story already. It's not an order, just a recommendation.

**Good ole Disclaimer** - I don't own NCIS. If I did, I'd be in CA right now instead of sitting in a dorm room in PA on the other side of the country.

**Pairings - **KIBBS and Gibbs' adopted daughter. I think it's cute.

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**Chapter 1 - A Rough Start**

It was late at night - or at least late for a 12-year-old girl. Trisha sat at her desk in her new bedroom, feverishly writing to her friend, Rochelle, who she hadn't seen in two weeks. Gibbs had told Trisha to get to bed early tonight and he would be in soon to tuck her in, but that was almost half an hour ago. Every once in a while Trisha heard Kate's giggles drifting up the stairs. Trisha sighed and continued writing:

_Dear Rochelle,_

_I finally got settled in at Gibbs' place. His house is in a nice little neighborhood. The place is kinda plain, but then again he is a guy and we both know what that means. I'll send some pictures soon. Gibbs wanted me to go to bed early tonight since I go to my new school on Monday, but he still hasn't come in to check on me. I think him and Kate are making out downstairs because there are some funny noises going on right now! Kate still spends nights in her own apartment, but I think there's talk of her moving in with Gibbs and me._

_Kate and Abby took me shopping for new clothes the other day. Kate wanted me to get some really nice stuff, and Abby tried to get me to wear big black baggy pants with a lot of chains on them. I ended up getting some jeans, cargo pants, T-shirts, and hoodies. Gibbs drove us to the mall, but he waited for us on a bench by the fountain. Eventually he came into the store to see what was taking so long. That was a huge mistake because Kate and Abby attacked him and made him try on clothes! It was really funny, and Abby got some good pictures on her cell phone. I'll be sure to send them, too._

_Tony and McGee took me to see the Washington Capitals hockey team play the Flyers. I bet Tony $10 that Philly would win, so now I'm $10 richer! Tony got me some hot chocolate when I got really cold. He's a nice guy when he's not acting like a 5 year old. I had to spend most of the game telling McGee what was going on on the ice. He just didn't understand the theory behind the two-line pass rule. I guess he's better with computer stuff. _

_After the game Tony and McGee dropped me back off at Gibbs' house. Somehow we started a snowball fight. Tony threw snow at me right when Gibbs came out the door, and it hit Gibbs square in the chest. I thought Gibbs was going to kill Tony, so I grabbed onto his leg and hung on tight. It gave Tony and McGee enough time to get in the car and peel out of there. Any other time I would have helped Gibbs kick Tony's butt, but Gibbs still has a week and a half to go before he can go back to active duty. He's restless and easily angered right now._

_Speaking of The Boat (I'm capitalizing it because Gibbs treats his boat like it's a living thing), it really is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I can't believe Gibbs built that boat out of basically nothing. It's far from being finished, but Gibbs tells me that it will come along faster now that he has me and Kate to help him build it. _

_The other night Kate came over with pizza and the three of us spent most of the night working on The Boat. We ended up all falling asleep on the living room floor watching some chick flick Kate rented. I woke up the next morning lodged between Gibbs and Kate; my face was pressed up against Gibbs' chest and Kate's front was pushed flat against my back. Gibbs had his arm around both of us. Somehow Abby had let herself into Gibbs' house and, of course, had taken more pictures. I don't know if I want you to see those though because they could be used as blackmail against me and Gibbs!_

_Those nightmares that I have are coming back again. I only have them when I sleep alone. They're not as bad as other times, and I think once I get into a routine and used to living here they should go away. Or at least I hope so. I haven't told Gibbs about the bad dreams yet, but Kate somehow figured out that I was having them again. She promised to not tell Gibbs unless the dreams get really bad. I'm afraid to tell him because I don't want to screw up our relationship. Gibbs makes me feel safe and I don't think he would be the kind of guy to throw me out on the street because of some nightmares, but all my experience says that's what happens._

_Anyway, Gibbs took me into the NCIS HQ to show me around. I met the director, and rumor says that apparently Gibbs had some fling with her back in the day when they both worked together. Of course that came from Tony, so who knows how much truth is behind that. Right after Tony told me that, Gibbs slapped him upside the head. I noticed that Tony gets whacked a lot. Like REALLY a lot. I almost feel bad for him… almost. I got to see Abby's lab and I helped her with some high tech science stuff. I also spent some time with Ducky in the morgue and I met his helper, Jimmy Palmer. He's kinda weird and Tony calls him the Autopsy Gremlin. I don't really like being in the morgue, though, so I didn't spend much time in there._

_Ok, well I better get to bed before Gibbs comes in and finds me still awake. Aw crap… he just walked in! I'll write again soon. Oh, and McGee says hi._

_-Trisha_

Trisha quickly folded the letter, stuck it in an envelope, and licked it shut before Gibbs walked up behind her. She leaned her head back to look at him upside down and smiled innocently. He was wearing black mesh shorts and a plain white T-shirt. "Hi Gibbs, I uh… I was just gonna get into bed!" she told him.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, "I thought I told you to go to bed half an hour ago?"

Trisha turned around in her swivel chair to face him. "Well I woulda been in bed already if you would have came in and checked on me sooner instead of smooching with Kate in the kitchen!" she exclaimed. She saw something in Gibbs' eyes flicker before he gave her one of his infamous half smiles. 'Not good, abort!' she thought to herself as she tried to make a dash past Gibbs.

Gibbs put his arm out and caught her before she got away. He easily lifted her and tucked Trisha under one arm before turning around and walking towards her bed.

"Arrgh, Gibbs! Put me down you big bully!" Trisha yelled, but to no avail. She squirmed for a few more minutes before finally giving up.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs!" came a voice from the doorway. "What did the doctor say? You drop her this instant!" Kate scolded Gibbs like he was a little child.

Gibbs turned in Kate's direction and pouted. "Awww Katie, you never let me have any fun anymore!"

Trisha grunted, "Hello, all the blood is rushing to my head!"

Kate sighed, "Now, Gibbs!" She pointed towards Trisha's bed.

He moved closer to the bed and dropped Trisha onto the covers. Trisha bounced a few times before lying still and moaning. "Holy crap, Gibbs…"

Satisfied, Kate went off to the bathroom to take a shower. Gibbs just smiled and pushed Trisha over to the other side of the bed. He laid down next to her before reaching for her and pulling her to him. Gibbs turned on his side and propped himself up with his elbow before looking at Trisha, who was staring at the ceiling.

"Gibbs, I'm never gonna fall asleep with you staring at me," she said jokingly. She was going to continue until she turned her head to meet his gaze. She saw concern in Gibbs' blue eyes. "What?" Trisha asked.

He sighed before he spoke. "Trisha, why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares again?"

Trisha bolted up angrily and glared at Gibbs. "Kate promised she wouldn't tell!"

Gibbs sat up also. "No, Kate agreed not to tell me unless the dreams got worse, which they have. You've had a nightmare every night since you've gotten here, with the exception of the time we fell asleep on the floor. Last night you woke me up because of how loud you were yelling! So don't you try and tell me that they're not bad!" he yelled at her. As soon as Gibbs realized that he was actually screaming at Trisha, he felt like complete crap. His expression quickly softened, but Trisha wasn't looking at him anymore.

Instead Trisha cringed and clamped her eyes shut as she felt the lump in her throat begin to rise. She scooted away from Gibbs and to the other side of the bed. "I… I'm sorry," she stammered as tears ran down her face.

Gibbs quickly crawled across the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Trisha. I didn't mean to yell at you like that," he said. "I'm just mad because I'm stuck on desk duty, that's all. It's not your fault," Gibbs told her as he rubbed her back.

"Yes it is!" Trisha sobbed. "This is how it always starts, with these stupid nightmares. And pretty soon you'll get sick of me and you'll throw me away like everyone else!" She started crying and shaking harder.

"Oh, God no, Trisha. I'm not going to get rid of you, I promise, ok?" Gibbs held her tightly and bent over a little as he rested his forehead against the top of her head. "Shhh, baby, please don't cry. I don't like seeing you hurting like this. Shhh, it'll be alright," he whispered as he stroked Trisha's hair. "Come on, kiddo, you gotta stop crying. You're breaking my heart," he told her.

"Gibbs…" Trisha said shakily through her tears.

In response, Gibbs began to softly rock Trisha as he cradled her small form. "Shhh, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. He moved backwards and pulled Trisha with him before he laid down. Both Trisha and Gibbs were on their sides. Trisha had her face buried in Gibbs' chest as his strong arms enveloped her, in essence shielding her from her bad dreams. He slowly ran his hand up and down her back. "Get some sleep now, ok? I'll keep the bad guys away. I'll keep you safe, Trisha," he whispered. Gibbs felt her body relax and her breathing become deeper as she fell asleep in his arms.

Kate came walking into the bedroom with the cover from Gibbs' bed. She turned off the lights before climbing onto the bed behind Gibbs. She threw the cover over Gibbs, who gently tucked some of it around Trisha's body. Kate nestled against Gibbs before closing her eyes and falling asleep fairly quickly.

Gibbs, on the other hand, stared out the dark window as he continued to gently rub Trisha's back. It would be some time before he drifted to sleep.

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**Any suggestions on what you want to see happen in this story? Love it, like it, want to dump lighter fluid on it and burn it? Let me know; hit up the review button!**


	2. Moonlight

**Chapter 2 - Moonlight**

Gibbs woke with a start; he had a feeling that something wasn't right. The sudden jump caused a dull ache in his ribs, but he ignored it and pushed the pain to the back of his mind like he had been taught in the Marines. Gibbs glanced at the alarm clock and realized that it was only 2:37am. He looked down to check on Trisha, but as the clouds passed and moonlight shone through the window, Gibbs recognized that he was instead holding Kate. 'I must have rolled over,' he thought to himself as he gently removed himself from Kate's sleeping form. However, when he turned to the other side, Gibbs found the bed unoccupied and Trisha gone.

He quietly got out of bed and began checking the house for the little girl. 'Maybe she had to use the head,' he thought as he softly knocked on the closed door. When he heard no response, he tried the door knob and opened the door slowly. Finding the bathroom empty, Gibbs moved down the hallway to check in his room. Nothing. He continued into the living room only to find it vacant as well. As he moved through his kitchen with intent to check the basement, Gibbs saw movement from the corner of his eye. He paused and looked out the window to see Trisha sitting on his front porch steps.

As the cloud cover again cleared and the moon shone bright, Gibbs had to smile a little at the sight before him. The light from the moon reflected off of Trisha's blonde hair and light gray sweatshirt in a way that made her seem angelic. When Gibbs thought about it some more, he realized that in a sense, Trisha was _his_ very own guardian angel. He thought back to the day when she and Rochelle had saved him from the woods and remembered that the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes were Trisha's baby blues. He remembered how gentle she was and how she rubbed his back when he was laying on her in the snow. Gibbs sighed and went to the closet by the front door. He grabbed a pair of his boots and put them on with haste. He didn't bother to lace them up as he stepped into the frigid night. The cold momentarily took his breath away before he adjusted to the freezing temperature.

Gibbs made his way to Trisha and closely sat down next to her on the step. He put his arm around her shoulders and waited for her to react to his presence. He frowned when Trisha didn't respond. Gibbs was about to say something when she spoke.

"You can't see the stars here," she said quietly.

Gibbs noted the sadness in her tone of voice and moved his hand down her arm before retracing the same path back to her shoulder. He smiled as Trisha leaned her small body against him. "Yea, too much light pollution from the city," he replied cautiously, not wanting to say anything stupid. Silence fell between them again.

Gibbs brought his other hand to Trisha's face and gently stroked her cheek with his knuckle before letting his hand run through her hair. In response, Trisha moved her head closer to Gibbs' chest and placed her ear over his heart and listened to the rhythmic beat. Gibbs kissed the top of her head before letting his chin rest there.

Suddenly Gibbs had a brilliant idea. "Tell you what, let me go grab some stuff from inside. I'll be right back," he said as he disentangled himself from Trisha. "Don't go anywhere." Gibbs hurried to his basement and pulled on his old pair of jeans that he wore when he worked on his boat. He threw on his ancient NIS sweatshirt, put on his boots and laced them this time, then grabbed the extra sweatshirt that he had sitting on his work bench. On his way back up the basement stairs, Gibbs stopped and picked up a pair of sawdust covered sweatpants that Trisha had left on the steps. Once in the kitchen, Gibbs jotted down a note on a pad of paper for Kate:

_Hey,_

_Don't worry. Took Trisha to see the stars. Don't know when we'll be back. Cell's on, but don't call unless it's an emergency._

_Jethro_

He let the note on the counter and grabbed his car keys from the table. He also grabbed a blanket from the living room. Once out the front door, Gibbs handed Trisha the clothes he had gotten for her. "Here, put these on. We gotta hurry if we want to make it," he threw over his shoulder as Gibbs headed for his car.

Trisha put on the sweatpants and huge sweatshirt but didn't follow him. "Gibbs?"

He turned around to see her still standing on the front porch. "Come on!" he said as he waved his arm.

"But I don't have any shoes on," Trisha replied simply.

Gibbs briskly walked to Trisha and picked her up. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, Gibbs smiled. "Don't tell Kate about this part. She'd kill me." He opened his passenger side door and placed Trisha on the front seat, then reached over and buckled her in. He walked around to the other side of his car and climbed into the driver's seat. Gibbs buckled himself before starting the engine and driving down the street.

Trisha looked out the window and watched as the houses began to get farther and farther apart. Soon there weren't any streetlamps to light the way. After about fifteen more minutes of driving, Gibbs guided the car onto an unpaved road.

Trisha wrinkled her nose as they drove on. "Hey Gibbs," she said as she turned to him, "where are we going, anyway?"

Gibbs only glanced at her and smiled. "You'll see."

After ten more minutes of driving, Gibbs guided the car to a stop. He reached into the back seat and removed the blanket he had placed there earlier. "Wait here," he told Trisha before he climbed out of the car. Gibbs walked down a path a little ways before stopping in a clearing and spreading out the blanket at the foot of a very large oak tree. He made his way back to the car and opened the passenger door. He again lifted Trisha and she once more wrapped her arms around his neck. He walked back to the oak tree where he had left the blanket and set Trisha down upon it.

Trisha tilted her head back and looked up at Gibbs. "What are we doing in the middle of the woods in the middle of winter?" She became even more confused when she watched Gibbs lay down on the blanket. "Are you off your rocker or what?"

He chuckled and patted a spot next to him. "Lay down," he instructed her.

She did as he told her and laid down on her side. Her head rested on his outstretched arm.

Gibbs looked at Trisha and gave her a warm smile. "You wanted to see the stars, right? Look up, kiddo," he whispered as he nodded towards the sky.

Trisha followed his gaze and looked upwards. As far as the eye could see stretched a blanket of white, twinkling stars. It looked as if it went on forever. In the middle of the sparkling sky perched a silvery ball of light. Trisha moved over and nestled into Gibbs' side. He instinctively put his arm around her as they both continued to watch the sky.

"Gibbs, can I ask you something?" Trisha inquired.

"Mmm hmm," Gibbs responded and waited for her to go on.

"Do you believe in angels?"

He knew what Trisha wanted to hear. "You bet I do. And I'm sure your mom and dad are watching over you right now."

Trisha propped herself up on her elbow and faced Gibbs. "You really think so?"

He nodded. "We all need someone to watch over us, Trish."

She glanced back up at the sky for a moment before bringing her eyes back to Gibbs. "Who's watching over you?"

Gibbs smiled and pulled Trisha into a hug. "You are," he whispered to her.

Trisha pulled back and searched Gibbs' blue eyes. He smiled lovingly at her before she moved her head to his chest and again placed her ear over his heart.

"Whatcha doin' kid?" Gibbs asked her.

Trisha grinned as she felt Gibbs' chest vibrate when he spoke to her. "I like listening to your heart beat," she told him.

"You do, huh?" he questioned her.

"Yup," Trisha said simply.

A comfortable quietness surrounded the NCIS agent and little girl as they continued to stare at the sky. Somewhere in the distance, an owl called.


	3. Sunrise

**Chapter 3 - Sunrise**

Gibbs and Trisha got back to the house around 7am. Trisha had insisted on staying out to watch the sunrise and spent half an hour trying to convince Gibbs to do so.

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**Earlier, 6AM**

"_Come on Gibbs, it's only like fifteen minutes away now!"_

"_Yea, but that's fifteen more minutes before I can get coffee."_

"_Gibbs!"_

"_But Trisha, we're talking about coffee here!"_

"_Geeze, you really have an unhealthy addiction to that stuff, don't you?"_

"_Trisha, it's not unhealthy. I've been drinking it for years."_

"_Wait, did you just admit that you're addicted to coffee? Ha! Kate was right after all…"_

"_Kate told you I'm addicted to coffee?"_

"_Yea, when we were over at Abby's place we were discussing you and… I've said too much…"_

"_See, that's what I don't get with you ladies! Every time a small group of your kind gets together…"_

"_Hold up there Special Agent Gibbs. It wasn't me, I was just talking about the last time I played ice hockey and then Abby and Kate just started shooting out facts about you."_

"_Uh huh. So…"_

"_So what?"_

"_Well what did they say about me?"_

"_Um, well, I'm going to say probably everything they know about you. And some of it I just didn't want to hear. I'm only 12, you know."_

"_They said what?"_

"_Kate kept talking about how good of a kisser you are. And when she broke into the part about when **her** gum ended up in **your** mouth I… I gotta stop before I gag."_

"_Well if it makes you feel any better, the gum was still pretty minty."_

"_STOP! Don't talk to me, that's nasty. Ugh, quit laughing Gibbs!"_

At this point Gibbs grabbed Trisha and pulled her into a bear hug. He flipped her over and started tickling her until she promised to tell him everything that Kate and Abby had told her. Eventually Gibbs sat against the giant oak tree. Trisha sat between his legs on the blanket and leaned back against him as he enfolded his arms around her until the sun rose into the sky and spread its rays to the ground below.

"_Ok, I'll admit that that was worth the wait. But can we go get coffee now? Are you listening to me, Trisha? And…you're asleep."_

Gibbs stood up before he threw Trisha over his shoulder and carried her, wrapped in the blanket, back to the car. He stopped and got his beloved coffee before making his way back to the house. Trisha slept the entire time.

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**Current Time, Gibbs' House**

Kate woke up to a completely empty bed, which she found odd. She knew Trisha hated mornings and expected her to still be sleeping. She also figured that if Trisha were still sleeping Gibbs would be with her, even if he usually got up early.

Kate thought back to last night when Gibbs lost his temper and started yelling at the little girl. She had been standing next to the doorway and ready to jump into the room to defend Trisha. When she heard Trisha crying Kate began to step forward, but hearing Gibbs' apology stopped her in her tracks. He had actually told someone that he was sorry. She also noticed that Gibbs let his walls around his heart drop when he was with Trisha.

Kate paid the bathroom a visit and grabbed a shower. She walked into the living room to turn on the news, but she found the television already on and Gibbs' silvery hair peaking out above his black leather recliner. She walked to the side of the recliner and gave Gibbs a kiss on his forehead. Trisha, still wrapped in the blanket, was sound asleep on Gibbs.

His eyes fluttered before opening. "Hey," Gibbs smiled sleepily at Kate. "Did you get my note?"

Kate shook her head, "Nope, I just woke up. Where did you guys go?" She nodded at Trisha, "Isn't she hurting your ribs?"

"We went clubbing with Tony," Gibbs said with a smirk. "And she's fine, no problem there." He felt Trisha shift her body and spoke more softly. "Just go read my note Kate, I don't want to wake her up. She didn't get much sleep last night," Gibbs said with a yawn.

"Looks like you didn't either, Jethro." She got another blanket and covered Gibbs and Trisha with it. She was about to walk away when she saw his muddy boots. Kate untied the laces and took them off. She carried them to the kitchen and set them down on the tile floor before reading Gibbs' note. Kate smiled and walked back to Gibbs and Trisha, but she found Gibbs had fallen asleep and was snoring softly. His head rested against Trisha's.

Kate went outside to the mailbox and retrieved the mail. She was flipping through Gibbs' bills when she found a letter addressed to Trisha. It was from Rochelle. 'This should make her happy,' Kate thought. She went back inside the house and put the mail on the kitchen counter before writing a note to Gibbs:

_Jethro,_

_Went to do some errands and then meeting Abby for lunch. Be home around 3pm. Love you._

_Katie_

She made her way to Gibbs and Trisha and gave them both a quick kiss before heading out the door.

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**A/N:** Sorry for the briefness of this chapter. Big political science exam coming up tomorrow; wish me luck!


	4. Wake Up Call

**Chapter 4 - Wake Up Call**

Trisha felt herself going up and down as Gibbs' chest rose and fell with every breath he took. He had his arms around her yet, and she had nowhere else she'd rather be. She moved her head a little, burrowed her face into Gibbs' neck, and sighed contently before closing her eyes again.

Gibbs opened one of his eyes when he felt Trisha's breath tickling his skin. He moved his hands in circular patterns on her small back and felt her nuzzle her cheek against him. "Trisha," he called gently, "we gotta get up, kiddo."

She stretched her body a little, but didn't make an effort to remove herself from Gibbs' arms. "I don't wanna," she replied groggily.

"I know," Gibbs said softly. "But if you don't get up now then you're gonna be up all night. Besides, we--" he was cut off by his cell phone as it started to vibrate and ring in his pocket. He shifted Trisha to the side and reached into his jeans before flipping open the cell and putting it to his ear. "Yea, Gibbs," he greeted. He listened to the voice on the other line before saying, "Yea, gimme 20 minutes." He turned his attention back to Trisha. "Now you really have to get up. That was Kate and Abby; they need me at headquarters."

Trisha pouted, "But I thought we were gonna work on 'The Boat' today?"

Gibbs gently pushed her off his body and to the side of the recliner. "Yea, well. Sometimes crime doesn't take the weekend off," he replied bitterly as he stood up and threw the blanket onto the couch. "Hey," he said to Trisha. When she looked at him Gibbs could see the disappointment in her eyes. "Go brush your teeth and get dressed, you're coming along." He smiled as her face lit up. "Get a move on!"

After Trisha ran to her bedroom, Gibbs took a quick shower and got dressed into his usual office attire: black pants and shoes, a maroon polo, and a white undershirt. He walked into his kitchen to grab something to eat when he found the letter for Trisha on the counter. Gibbs glanced at his watch and sighed. "You ready yet?" he yelled.

"I'm bruh-ing my teeth!" Trisha called back with a mouthful of toothpaste. Right then she sneezed, sending blue Colgate in every direction. "…Oops…" She giggled as she wiped it up and rinsed her mouth out. When she was done she walked to meet Gibbs at the front door.

He looked at her suspiciously. "Did I just hear you say 'oops' in the bathroom?" Gibbs asked as he opened the door for her.

She giggled as she walked past him onto the porch and waited while he locked up. When he turned around and looked at her, she smiled. "Yea, I learned something important. Apparently you shouldn't sneeze with a mouthful of toothpaste! It doesn't turn out too good. I tried wiping it up, but it really went all projectile on me and I couldn't reach some of the spots on the mirror."

Gibbs chuckled and shook his head as he walked to his car. They both climbed in and buckled up. Once they were driving for a few minutes, Gibbs pulled the letter out of his old olive green USMC jacket. "Here, this came for you today. It's from Rochelle," he told Trisha as he handed it to her.

She grabbed it from him and ripped open the envelope. It read:

_Hey Trisha!_

_My dad told me it would be a good idea to write you since you're probably still busy getting your stuff together. Nothing much has happened here. Remember that basketball game that my dad and brother were in such a rush to get to? Yea, well my brother broke his ankle in that game when he tripped over his own feet. What a loser._

_Just what the heck did you say to McGee? He called me the other day to talk! It was a little awkward at first because I had no idea what to talk to him about. He wanted to know if it was ok to base a character on me. McGee's like a writer or something. Then we got to talking about random things… did you know Gibbs sometimes calls him Elf Lord? Long story there, you should ask him about that one._

_Sorry to cut this short, but my mom wants to take us Christmas shopping. Yes, I know it's still three weeks away… Speaking of, what are you gonna get Gibbs? If you're interested, here's an idea: Get someone to trace an outline of Gibbs' hand on a piece of paper. Then trace your hand on a piece of paper and cut it out. You put that inside the tracing of Gibbs' hand and trace it, then cut out your hand. It leaves you with a paper frame of your handprint inside Gibbs' handprint. Then you take some of that baking clay and mold it over the paper frame. Bake it, paint it, glue a piece of glass over the opening, get a picture of you and Gibbs and there you have it - a nice little picture frame for Gibbs' desk. Plus it'll be even more special because you made it yourself!_

_Okay, gotta go for real now. My mom and I are gonna drop this off at the post office. Talk to you later, and tell everyone I said hi!_

_-Chelle_

Trisha smiled and put the letter back in the envelope. "Chelle says hi," she told Gibbs. "And why do you call McGee _Elf Lord_?"

"Huh? How did she find out about that?" Gibbs asked as he glanced at Trisha.

"McGee called her to chat," she giggled. "And he wanted to ask Chelle if her could use her in some story he's writing."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Well, McGee's a computer geek, which I'm sure you've noticed already. Him and Tony were fighting about some dumb game and I overheard it." He sighed, "McGee and DiNozzo fight like… I don't know… a married couple or something."

"Well you're pretty much an expert in that department, aren't ya?" Trisha snorted.

"What?" Gibbs barked as he sped up to avoid a red light.

"Whoa, Mr. Indianapolis 500, I want to live to see thirteen!" She made a face before speaking again. "Well, yea, so you've had three ex-wives?"

Gibbs glared at Trisha. "So who told you that, Kate or Abby?"

Her eyes got big. "I um, I don't remember… Are you mad?"

Gibbs turned into the NCIS parking lot. "Mad? Nahhh," he stated. He parked the car and climbed out.

Trisha followed him towards the building. "So you're not mad, then?"

"I just wish I could have told you some stuff about me, you know, instead of you hearing everything from other people," Gibbs told her. He slowed his pace down to allow Trisha to catch up to him.

She reached up and took his hand. "They didn't tell me everything, you know."

Gibbs started walking again. "Like?"

"Like what's your favorite color, Gibbs?" Trisha asked.

He smirked, "Well, I'd have to say blue."

She giggled, "That's what I would have guessed!"

"Oh yea? Why?" Gibbs inquired.

"Well, blue's the color of your eyes, Papa Bear." Trisha looked up at him with a grin on her face and squeezed his hand.

Gibbs laughed and gently squeezed her hand back. Together they walked hand in hand into the building.


	5. File Switch

**Chapter 5 - File Switch**

Kate looked up from her desk as she heard the elevator ding and expectantly waited for Gibbs to walk out. She had noticed it more recently that whenever he was in close proximity, she got this feeling in her stomach and would more often than not get little goose bumps on her arms. Kate had told Abby about it over lunch the other day:

"_I don't know Abby, I get this weird feeling before Gibbs walks into the room sometimes. Like I can tell when he's coming," Kate said before she took a swig of her water._

"_Really?" Abby asked. "Oooh, cool! Maybe you're psychic! I have a lot of psychic friends who are really awesome. Well, except for Cleetus, he turned out to be a real douche bag."_

_Kate rolled her eyes, "Abby, please!"_

"_Ok, ok," she paused for a moment. "Any other side effects? And are you gonna eat your side salad?" Abby reached and snagged Kate's bowl of greens before she could answer._

_Kate looked around for a little, deep in thought, before speaking. "Yea, I get goose bumps, too. What do you think it means?"_

_Abby started to laugh. "Kate, that feeling you're describing there," she said as she leaned in closer to her friend, "that feeling is love!"_

Kate smiled as she saw the top of Gibbs head above her cubicle wall. She could spot his silver hair a mile away. When Gibbs got closer and locked eyes with Kate, he gave her a wink. Both of them had decided to try their best to leave their relationship out of the office. For the time being, anyway.

Tony was busy playing a space game on his computer. He didn't even notice his boss walk into the bullpen, and he especially didn't notice when Gibbs crept up in front him. _Whack! _"Ow, what the he--" Tony cried out sharply as he looked up. "Oh, hey boss." It took Tony a minute to realize that someone had hit him from behind, and Gibbs was standing in front of him. He looked back at Gibbs to see that he was smiling past him.

"Was that good, Gibbs?" came a voice from behind Tony.

Tony spun his chair around to meet Trisha's beaming face. "Oh," he scoffed. "You did not just do that!"

"You bet I did!" Trisha exclaimed.

Tony started to get up out of his chair. "If I catch you, I swear!" He seemed excessively angry. His face turned red as he made a low growling noise.

Trisha's eyes got wide as she bolted from behind DiNozzo's desk and straight to Gibbs. He scooped her up and held her on his hip with one arm. Tony stopped abruptly in front of Gibbs' body. He slowly straightened up and was met with a cold, hard stare from his boss.

"Yea, DiNozzo? What _are_ you gonna do?" Gibbs asked, his voice quiet; coaxing Tony to make a move. "Go ahead and try it."

Tony may have been mad, but he didn't have a death wish. "I, uh… I'm gonna get back to work, Boss." He glared at Trisha momentarily but stopped when Gibbs cleared his throat. Tony went back to his desk and slunk down in his chair before he feverishly began to type and search for something on his computer.

Gibbs put Trisha down on his desk. She sat on the edge and started to swing her legs as Gibbs sat next to her and put an arm behind her. Trisha leaned back against him and yawned.

"Ok, so why am I here?" Gibbs barked as he turned his attention to his team.

Abby, who was standing next to McGee, piped up. "Well, we needed your security clearance to look up some files on this new case we just got."

Gibbs sighed, "Why didn't you just ask the Director for hers?"

"Well, we would have, but it's the weekend Boss. She's not here," McGee stuttered.

He nodded in acknowledgement. "Ok, so what have we got?" Gibbs asked. "Put it up on the plasma, Abs."

"Um, Trish, you might not want to look at this. It's some pictures from Ducky's autopsy," Abby warned the little girl.

Trisha shrugged. "I think I'll be alright. Not like I haven't seen a dead guy before. Especially since the last time I visited autopsy with Ducky…"

Abby nodded, causing her black pig tails to bounce. She turned to the plasma screen and clicked a button on the remote she held in her hand. The screen jumped to life, but Abby seemed confused. Instead of autopsy photos, snapshots of blood spatter on a wall appeared. "This isn't supposed to be in here," she said as she flipped through the pictures. The next picture was of more blood spatter, and the following was of a blood pool with small footprints in it.

Trisha had been looking out the window. She wasn't really paying attention to the confusion, but when Abby clicked the remote and Kate gasped at the photo, she whipped her head around to the screen. She froze as she stared at the screen and her breath caught in her throat. Tony had started laughing evilly from his desk, but stopped when Trisha let out one of the worst blood curdling screams that any member of the team had ever heard. She jumped down off of Gibbs desk, half screaming and half sobbing, and took off out of the bullpen.

"Jesus Christ, Gibbs!" Kate exclaimed. "Look at that photo! Is that…?" her voice trailed off to a whisper.

Gibbs jumped off his desk and walked closer to the plasma. "Oh my God," he said loudly. He turned abruptly and ran in the direction that Trisha had gone.

"Somebody want to tell me what's going on?" Abby asked angrily. "Where did these pictures come from?" She glared in Tony's direction.

Tony hung his head. "I switched around the files to murder case photos… I just wanted to scare Trisha. You know, get back at her for hitting me on the head. I didn't think she'd react the way she did. I mean, it's just some blood and dead bodies. She even said that she's seen dead guys before…"

"That's really sick, Tony. She's only twelve!" McGee spat out.

Kate had been staring at the photos still plastered on the plasma screen. She turned to Tony, "Do you have any idea what you've just done? DiNozzo, you stupid ass! Those two dead bodies are her parents!" Kate grabbed the stapler on her desk and hurled it at Tony before running after Trisha and Gibbs.

Abby grabbed McGee's arm and tugged him. They both followed Kate down the hallway towards the interrogation rooms, leaving behind Tony, who had turned a sickly shade of green.


	6. Injured

**Chapter 6 - Injured**

Trisha had no idea where she was going. She just knew she had to get away; away from that photo of her mangled mom and dad. Away from Tony's laughter. Away from her nightmares. Away from everything.

She saw doors fly past her that led to various rooms, but as she sprinted further the maroon walls of the NCIS hallway transformed. In her mind's eye, Trisha was back in her house and surrounded by white walls covered in blood. She heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't dare to look over her shoulder to see who was pursuing her. She already knew it was the same man who had taken her family from her. And now he wanted to finish the job. He wanted her.

Trisha came to a 'T' in the hallway and she began to turn to the left. Although her tears were blinding her, she could tell that she had made the wrong decision; it was a dead end and she was going the wrong way. She quickly tried to turn, but she tripped on the carpet and crashed head first into the corner of a doorway. Trisha yelped in pain as she immediately felt blood running down her forehead and into her right eye. It only took her a moment before her brain turned back on and told her to run. She tried to scramble to her feet as the heavy footsteps drew closer, but she could only manage to get to her hands and knees before she collapsed back to the ground. Trisha clamped her eyes shut as she heard the footsteps stop next to her. She began to whimper and shake with fear as she once more pulled herself to her hands and knees.

When she felt a hand on her back and arm, instincts kicked in. She began yelling and lashing out with every ounce of strength she had left, but her attacker easily overpowered her and pinned her to the ground on her back. _This is it, _she thought as tears flowed from her eye that wasn't crusted shut with blood. Trisha gave up and became motionless, ready to feel a sharp blade slice into her body. Instead she felt a gentle hand resting on her chest and another running through her hair.

"Trisha," came a man's soothing voice. "It's me, baby. It's ok, shhhh. It's me, it's Gibbs. Look at me, baby."

Trisha finally willed herself to open her good eye to find that she was staring into Gibbs' face. She sat up too quickly and gasped as she instantly became dizzy.

Gibbs shot his arm out and caught her as Trisha fell backwards towards to floor. He put his other arm underneath her knees and lifted her into his lap, cradling her body. He held her snugly against him to try and offer her comfort.

"Please," Trisha cried as she clung to his shirt. "Don't let him get me… please. I can't do this anymore, Gibbs. Please, help me," she pleaded, her shoulders heaving with sobs of hysterical fright.

Gibbs began to rock his body front and back while he tried to comfort Trisha. His heart constricted; he didn't know what to say. He put his cheek against Trisha's head. "Listen to me, Trisha." He paused for a moment. "Are you listening?"

"I'm listening, Gibbs," Trisha whispered, her eyes shut again.

He glanced at Kate, Abby, and McGee, who were standing a few feet away in the hallway. He was about to open his heart in front of his colleagues, but he just didn't care anymore. Gibbs turned his attention back to Trisha. "I _will_ keep you safe Trisha, do you understand me? No one, not one soul on this entire planet, will ever lay a finger on you as long as I live. I'd die before someone ever hurt you. Ok?"

Trisha didn't respond, but tears continued to flow and her breathing came in short gasps. She held a look of pain on her face.

Gibbs placed two of his fingers under her chin and lifted her face towards his. "Look, at me, Trisha." He waited for her to open her eyes before he spoke. "I'm going to protect you, ok?" he asked again.

Trisha searched his eyes but still didn't answer him back. She felt his thumb move and wipe away tears that were rolling down her face. She looked up when she felt something cold on her forehead to see Kate holding a wet towel on her wound. "Gibbs," Trisha muttered as she fought the blackness she kept fading in and out of. "Promise me… one thing."

He reached up to Trisha's face with the end of the wet towel and began to gently wipe away at the dried blood covering her eye. "Anything," he replied.

"Promise me… that no matter what… you'll never… leave me," Trisha said as her voice diminished to a very soft whisper.

"I'd never think of it, Trisha. I'll never abandon you," he paused and locked eyes with Kate. "And I'll never leave you either, Katie." Gibbs put his forehead against Trisha's and pulled Kate's head closer so that all three of their heads were touching one another's. "We're a family, now. Both of you are my girls, and that's how it's going to be from here on out," Gibbs whispered to Kate and Trisha.

Gibbs felt Trisha's body go limp in his arms as she succumbed to the darkness. He looked at Kate and said, "We need to get her to a doctor. She's gonna need stitches to close up that gash."

McGee and Abby came forward and helped Gibbs stand up. He refused to let go of Trisha when McGee offered to take her. "I told her I wouldn't leave her," Gibbs stated simply.

Using the nearest exit, Kate led the way to Gibbs' car and climbed into the driver's seat. McGee sat in the passenger's seat and allowed Abby to sit in the back with Gibbs, who held Trisha in his lap. Kate started the car engine and pulled the car out of the NCIS parking lot.

Abby placed a hand on Gibbs' arm and he turned his face to look at her. She saw a mixture of worry and anger in his eyes; the worry obviously for Trisha. The anger, however, could be directed at either Tony, who brought up the photos, or the actual murderer, who took the little girl's family from her and was responsible for all this pain in the first place. "She'll be fine Gibbs," Abby told him reassuringly.

Gibbs just nodded and turned his gaze back to Trisha's face. He brought his hand to her cheek and stroked her with his knuckles. She moaned and Gibbs looked at her, startled. "Trisha?" he asked.

"Gibbs," she moaned again, her eyes closed. "My freakin' head hurts… Did I hit a wall or a Mac truck?"

He smiled with relief; her last comment assured him that she would be alright, for the time being. Gibbs dropped his head and placed a light kiss under her eye that was swelling shut. "Just hang in there, kiddo. We're on our way to the hospital to get you all fixed up, ok? Just relax now," he whispered as he ran a hand through her hair. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

"We're here, Jethro," Kate announced. She pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance and stopped the car.

McGee hopped out and opened the car door for Gibbs. He slid out of the car slowly and carefully with Trisha. McGee turned around and began walking towards the hospital entrance.

Once out of the car, Trisha spoke again. "Hey _Elf Lord_, go flash your credentials around so we can speed this up…"

McGee whipped around to find Trisha holding a large smile on her face. He thought for a moment before he walked to her. "Anything for you, _Cupcake_," McGee said. He smiled at Gibbs before he gently kissed Trisha's temple.

Gibbs smiled down at Trisha as he carried her into the hospital. "So, _Cupcake_, huh?" He gently laid her on a stretcher that they had waiting for Trisha, but he didn't let go of her hand. The nurses had glared at Gibbs and tried to tell him to go into the waiting room, but he wouldn't budge from Trisha's side.

Finally Trisha told him, "It's ok, Gibbs. I'll be fine, really. Go to Kate."

Gibbs bent and gave her a kiss on her cheek. In return, Trisha squeezed his hand tightly before she let go and the nurses wheeled her down the hallway. Gibbs stood there in the middle of the hall, feeling quite helpless, when he felt Kate's arms wrap around his waist. They stood together in the hallway holding each other and watching Trisha, who opened her eyes and gave them the thumbs up sign before being pushed into a room.

"Come on, Jethro," Kate told him as she gently pulled him out of the hallway. She kept her arm wrapped around his waist and led him to the waiting room.


	7. Doc Problems

**Chapter 7 - Doc Problems**

Kate and Gibbs both had an arm wrapped around each other as they walked into the waiting room. They took a seat on a couch next to McGee and Abby, who were sitting in chairs and engrossed in a card game.

"Kate, Gibbs," Abby said with cheer, "you guys wanna play 'Slaps' with us? McGee's reflexes are too slow and I win every game!"

McGee's cell phone rang and he excused himself to answer it. He was only gone for a moment before he walked back to the waiting room and plunked down next to Abby. "Ducky's on his way," he stated. When he was met with puzzled looks, McGee looked at the floor. "I… uh, Ducky said Tony called him and explained the whole thing. Ducky stressed that Tony really feels horrible, but he's afraid to come here because he thinks Gibbs will kill him."

"Damn straight I'd kill him!" Gibbs barked.

Kate smiled and shook her head at Abby before she glanced at Gibbs. He had his head resting against his fist and was staring out the window. She slid closer to his body and ducked her head under his free arm. Kate laid her head against his shoulder and brought her hand up to his chest where she let it rest. "Hey," she said softly to Gibbs, "you ok?"

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "Why wouldn't I be, Kate?" he asked nonchalantly, not meeting her gaze.

She got a little agitated but didn't let it show. _Why is it that you can open your heart to Trisha and not me?_ she wanted to ask. Instead she said, "Come on, Gibbs. I've spent enough time around you to know when something's bothering you." Kate ran her hand gently back and forth across his chest. "Jethro," she said more softly as she reached over and cupped his cheek, pulling her face to make him look at her. "Talk to me."

Gibbs held Kate's gaze for a moment before he dropped his lips to hers and kissed her, sucking her bottom lip gently. He pulled away and planted a kiss on her forehead, then backed away slightly to look her in the eyes. His hand ran through her hair and down her back.

Kate stood up a little and sat back down with her knee tucked under her. This time she was the one to give Gibbs a kiss on his forehead. She wrapped her arms around him the best she could and pulled him to her. Kate guided Gibbs' head to her shoulder and ran her hand through his hair and down his back. She felt him turn his head and settle into her neck as she rested her head against his. They sat like that for a long time; Kate simply running her hand up and down Gibbs' back and sometimes through his silver hair.

By this time Ducky had gotten to the hospital and was already in the room with Trisha and the doctor. He stood next to the table that Trisha was sitting on. She had needed four stitches to close the gash above her right eyebrow and wasn't being very cooperative. The doctor had put a butterfly strip across it also, then ran white gauze over the cut, under her bangs, and around her head. When the doctor asked how she got this cut, she told him that she was running around and tripped into the corner of a wall, which was more or less the truth. After the doc had finished giving her a lecture on the perils of running indoors, Trisha was more than ready to leave.

"Are you done yet? You don't need to lecture me anymore, I get it. No running inside," Trisha said with a rude tone.

The doctor had gotten impatient. "No, I'm not done, and if you keep it up, I just might make it take longer," he threatened. "Now, Dr. Mallard," the arrogant doctor said, "if you'll just sign here I will allow this _disrespectful_ little thing to be discharged." Both Ducky and the other doctor's backs were turned.

Trisha got mad. She hopped off of the table and walked to the door before she paused. "Hey Doctor Dumbo," she called. Trisha waited for the doctor to turn around before she swiftly gave him the middle finger. "Up yours!" she added as she stormed out of the room and slammed the door for good measure. Ducky had to bite his tongue to suppress his laughter as he signed Trisha's release form.

Trisha walked into the room to find Kate still holding Gibbs. She walked and stood next to them right as Gibbs finally began to spill some of his feelings to Kate.

"I… I failed, Kate," Gibbs said quietly.

Kate shook her head, "What do you mean, Jethro?" She locked eyes with Trisha as she noticed her standing there. Neither said anything.

Gibbs took a deep breath before continuing, "I failed her. I promised Trisha that I'd keep her safe. And where did it get her, Kate? In the hospital, that's where. I failed that little girl miserably…" his voice trailed off. "I can't give her what she deserves, Katie," he whispered.

Trisha couldn't take anymore. She stepped forward and grabbed Gibbs' jacket, pulling him away from Kate. Trisha basically threw herself onto Gibbs and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now you get to listen to me, Gibbs. You did not fail me, you hear me? It's not your fault that I'm retarded and I tripped over my own two feet into a wall. Got it?" She pulled back from Gibbs and put her hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. "And do you have any idea just how safe I feel when I'm around you?" she asked as she smiled.

Gibbs frowned as he tenderly ran his fingers over Trisha's swollen eye. It was already starting to turn black and blue. He shook his head and started to blink rapidly as his heart jumped into his throat. Gibbs quickly looked at the ground and tried to hide the emotions that were spilling out. "Aw, hell," he cursed himself.

Trisha grabbed Gibbs and pulled him closer. He rested his head on her small shoulder. "Hey, come on big guy. You're gonna make me cry, Gibbs," she whispered. Trisha turned to Kate with pleading eyes.

Kate understood perfectly and put an arm around Gibbs and Trisha. She comfortingly kissed Gibbs' head and both Gibbs and Trisha wrapped an arm around Kate.

Trisha thought for a moment, searching for the right thing to say to Gibbs. "You know, Christmas is only a few weeks away, and I was thinking about what I should ask for. And I know now. Don't buy me anything. All I want is to sit between both of you guys somewhere and we can just have one continuous group hug. Yea," she said, "that's what I want. And Gibbs, how can you say that you can't give me what I deserve… when you already have?"

Gibbs picked up his head and looked at Trisha's face. He shook his head, "Trisha, you deserve…"

She cut him off. "Exactly what you have given me, Gibbs. Nothing but love." Trisha reached up and wiped the tears that had fallen down Gibbs' face, like he had done so many times for her. "Now pull it together, Marine. You've snotted enough on my shirt for one day!"

Gibbs let go of Kate and yanked Trisha's body against his. He held her in a tight embrace before he stood and picked her up. Exhausted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "Let's go home," he told Trisha and Kate.

Just then the angry doctor came storming into the waiting room. "There you are, you little…"

Kate cut him off and stepped in front of Gibbs and Trisha. "Is there a problem, Doctor?"

"Indeed there is! Your little girl called me Doctor Dumbo right before she gave me a very obscene gesture!" the doctor yelled, enraged.

Ducky emerged from around the corner and smiled, winking at both Gibbs and Kate.

"Trisha, what did you do?" Gibbs asked the girl in his arms.

"I flipped him off, Gibbs. He was being a real jack," she replied sleepily.

Gibbs looked at Ducky, who was nodding his head in agreement. Gibbs smirked, "Well in that case, I'd have to say I'm proud of you, baby." He took Kate's hand with the one that wasn't holding Trisha and walked out of the hospital into the fresh air. The rest of the team followed, laughing.


	8. Confrontation

**Chapter 8 - Confrontation**

Kate had driven them to Gibbs' house in his car. McGee and Abby hitched a ride with Ducky back to NCIS to finish up some work. Once they were inside the house, Gibbs laid down on the couch with Trisha. It took Trisha about three minutes before she fell asleep with Gibbs' arms wrapped around her. Gibbs was asleep in five minutes.

Kate was in the process of walking into the kitchen when there was a knock on the front door. She looked through the peephole to find Tony standing on the front porch grasping a teddy bear in one hand. He looked incredibly nervous and fidgety.

Kate opened the door wide enough for her to slip through and onto the front porch. She quietly shut the door behind her so Gibbs and Trisha wouldn't wake up. "DiNozzo! What are you doing here?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Tony scratched his head and looked around the neighborhood. "Well, I…" He took a deep breath, trying to work up the nerve to actually tell Kate why he was there. "Look, I feel like shit, ok? I realize that I made one hell of a mistake, and it's my fault that Trisha got hurt. God, if I would have known about her parents, I would have never thought about doing that file switch. I came to apologize," he said quickly, all in one breath.

Kate just raised her eyebrows and stared back at Tony. She smelled alcohol on his breath.

"Look, I even brought her a get well bear," he said, holding up the stuffed animal. "So… can I come in?" Tony asked.

She shook her head. "Tony, you've been drinking. I really don't think it's a good idea for you to come in right now," Kate told him. "With the way Gibbs has been acting… especially the explicit death threats he's promised more than once… I don't think he'd be able to look at you without trying to kill you." She stared back at Tony and waited for him to say something.

"Well, I'll never know unless I try!" he said with a smile.

Kate glanced back at the door, contemplating whether to let him in or not. She turned back around, "I don't even know if Trisha wants to see you right now. She doesn't feel so great. Besides, she's sleeping."

"Yea, I just want to talk to her for a couple minutes. She can go back to sleeping then," Tony replied.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Ok, DiNozzo, let me put it in a different way, one you can understand. You're not coming in, for your sake _and_ mine!"

Tony grew impatient. "Oh come on, Kate! How am I supposed to make things right if you won't even let me see the kid? Wait, are you trying to keep me from apologizing?"

Kate pulled a face in disbelief. "What? No! I'm saying you should give it a little more time before you show up and try to win Trisha back with a stuffed animal!"

"Ok, I'll have you know it took me fifteen minutes to actually pick out this particular bear!" he yelled as he waved around the teddy in Kate's face.

Kate shoved the bear in Tony's hand away from her head. "Wow, a whole fifteen minutes! I'm impressed!"

"Why don't you just let me in?" he yelled, enraged that Kate was standing her ground.

Kate started yelling back in exasperation. "What part of get the hell out of here don't you get, DiNozzo?"

Back inside, Trisha was actually in the middle of a very good dream. _Her, Gibbs, and Kate were all on a beach somewhere; riding the ocean waves with boogie boards. She could hear the waves crashing, a light breeze flowing, seagulls calling, and… wait, some guy yelling like a lunatic? What the…? _

She slowly awoke from her dream and blinked a few times. Interestingly enough, she could still hear a man's voice. She listened carefully and realized that there were both a man and a woman yelling. _Oh no, are Kate and Gibbs fighting? _she asked herself as she slowly tried to get up. Trisha met a restraint and smiled when she looked down to see a pair of arms wrapped around her. She leaned backwards into the embrace and looked upwards with the eye that wasn't completely swollen shut to see Gibbs' sleeping face. It took her another moment before she thought, _Wait, if Gibbs is here then who the heck is doing the yelling? _Trisha listened harder. When she recognized the angry voices, her heart skipped a beat.

"Gibbs!" she called as she started squirming in his arms. She turned around to face him and grabbed his maroon polo, then proceeded to shake him as hard as she could. "Gibbs, wake up!" Trisha yelled in his face.

Gibbs' eyes flew open and he grabbed Trisha's shoulders. "What? Trisha, what's wrong? Another bad dream, kiddo?"

Trisha shook her head and winced at the pain she caused herself. "No Gibbs, listen!" She paused until she heard more shouting. "I think Kate and Tony are fighting outside!"

Gibbs' blue eyes get wider as he realized that Tony, the person who was responsible for showing those photos to Trisha, was outside his house. To top it off, he was furiously yelling at his Katie. Gibbs slid out from behind Trisha and ran over to the front door. Rage pulsed through his entire body. As he was about to open the door, he heard Tony yell, "If you don't move I'll break the damn door down myself!"

Out on the porch, DiNozzo pushed Kate aside, lowered his shoulder, and hurled himself at the front door… at the exact same time Gibbs yanked it open. Tony's shoulder hit his boss square in the chest, sending Gibbs flying backwards with a good amount of force.

Gibbs grunted as his back hit the wall with a loud thud. He felt all the oxygen in his lungs escape as he slid down the wall and onto the floor. He sat there in a daze, gasping for air.

Tony, on the other hand, instantly scrambled to his feet. He stared at Gibbs with a look of complete and utter shock before his senses came about him. Well… almost. _I just kicked the crap out of an ex-Marine! _Tony thought triumphantly. He turned his head and saw Trisha standing there, her face holding a look of alarm. Tony took a step towards her. "Well, hey there, Trish," he smiled. He took another step, swaying slightly.

In response, Trisha took a step back. "That's far enough, you stay away from me!" she yelled. She knew a drunk when she saw one. When he didn't listen, Trisha retreated until her back was pushed up against the wall. She was cornered and had no where else to go. "Gibbs," she cried, "help me!"

Tony smiled and laughed a bit. "Sorry, he can't help you right now. Looks like it's just you and…" He was cut off when he felt someone violently grab the shoulder of his jacket and found himself being spun around. Then, as if in extreme slow motion, Tony watched a fist sail towards his face and hit him square in the nose. He fell to the ground in agony and put his hands up to catch the blood that was presently flowing. The next thing he knew he was flying through the air and onto a sidewalk.

After disposing of DiNozzo, Gibbs walked back inside of his house out of breath. He slammed the front door shut and locked it before making his way to Kate and Trisha, who were sitting on the couch. Gibbs knelt down in front of them. He put a hand on both Trisha and Kate's shoulders and gently drew them into a hug. "He's gone now. Everything's ok," he said reassuringly. "Are either of you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Gibbs," Kate told him. "I can't believe Tony just did that…"

Gibbs nodded and turned to Trisha. "How about you, kiddo?"

Trisha smirked at him. "Well, I dunno, Gibbs. How do I look?"

He shook his head and smiled back at her. Gibbs thought for a moment before he said, "I'll tell you what. Let's move the television into my bedroom, and we can get all cozy and watch a movie. What do ya say?" he asked as he looked back and forth between Kate and Trish.

Kate was about to agree when she noticed the cuts on Gibbs' knuckles from where his fist had connected with Tony's face.. "Jethro," Kate said softly as she took his hand, "you're bleeding."

Gibbs glanced down at his hand. "Oh, they're just scratches. Don't worry about it." He removed his hand from Kate's and gently stroked her cheek. The next thing he knew Kate had grabbed him and crashed her lips into his. Not like he was complaining, though.

Trisha tilted her head to the side and tried to look elsewhere to avoid the fact that Gibbs and Kate were making out right next to her. However, when Kate began kissing her way down the front of Gibbs' neck, causing Gibbs to let out a moan, Trisha decided she had seen more than enough. She sighed as she stood up and began to walk away. To her surprise, she felt two hands grab her and pull her backwards. "Hey!" she called out.

Trisha found herself pressed between Gibbs and Kate with each of them kissing a side of her face. "Ok, ok! Hey, knock it off!" she giggled as they started making a 'smooching' noise.

Gibbs stood up and hoisted Trisha into the air. "Come on, let's go _snuggle_!" he said in a silly tone.

"Aw Gibbs, that's so cute that you can kick the crap out of a guy and then want to spoon five minutes later!" Trisha laughed. She looked at Kate, "You really have the whole deal in this guy!" she exclaimed.

Kate chuckled and stood up, wrapping her arms around Gibbs' waist. She stood on her tip toes and kissed a spot right below his ear. "Oh, don't I know it," she whispered against his skin.

Gibbs put his arm around Kate's shoulder and began to walk to the bedroom. "So," he said, "what movie are we watching?" He stopped a moment and exclaimed, "And no chick flicks!"


	9. Raspberries

**Chapter 9 - Raspberries**

Kate had picked out 'The Notebook' and had handed the DVD case to Gibbs so he could put the disc into the player. He looked at the cover for a minute before he flipped over the case to read the synopsis on the back. Gibbs frowned, "There is no way that you're putting me through another love story, Kate. I'm not watching this."

Kate, who was sitting on the bed and propped up against pillows, rolled her eyes in response. "Oh come on, Jethro. It's not going to kill you to watch it. Besides," she added, "it's sweet."

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope. No way, no how. My manliness can't handle all this."

"Gibbs, please!" she snorted. "You're worried about your manliness? Didn't you just punch a guy in the face? I'd say that's pretty manly. What do you say, Trisha?" Kate asked as she turned to her.

Trisha was sitting on the other side of the bed. "Oh no, I don't think so! I'm not choosing sides here," she exclaimed as she threw her hands up. "You two work it out."

"What movie do _you_ want to watch, Gibbs?" Kate asked. She folded her arms across her chest.

Gibbs smiled, "I dunno. Something with blood. And stuff has to blow up!"

Kate sighed with a little annoyance. "For God's sake Jethro, how old are you?"

"Well, I'm this many, Katie!" Gibbs exclaimed in a stupid voice as he held up all ten of his fingers and wiggled them at her.

Kate's eyebrows went up. "Did you get hit in the head recently?"

"Nope, my inner child wants to come out and play," he said with a smirk. Gibbs locked eyes with Kate as he slowly crawled up the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. He pulled his body over hers, placing one hand on either side of her head and holding himself above her with his arms. Gibbs gazed into Kate's brown eyes and smiled before he gently lowered himself, allowing his lips to meet hers.

Kate noticed Gibbs' gentleness, but she wanted more. She reached up and ran her hand along his flexed arms, down his back, and upwards into his silver hair. She pulled his head closer with one hand, allowing her other to travel to his broad chest. Kate massaged his upper body, eliciting a moan from Gibbs.

Trisha, who was still on the other side of the bed, wrinkled her nose in disgust. She grabbed a pillow from behind her, lifted it above her head, and _whack! _brought it down on an unsuspecting Gibbs and Kate. "Seriously people, that's enough!" she yelled as she hit them again with the pillow.

Finally Gibbs rolled off Kate and towards the middle of the bed. "What?" he asked Trisha innocently.

"What do you mean what? If you guys are gonna keep up this free show, let me get outta here. Remember when I told you that I didn't care if you kissed in front of me? Yea, I lied!" she exclaimed as she moved to get off the bed.

Gibbs lunged for her and pulled Trisha back down on the bed. He put his hand in the middle of her chest and pinned her down. "Don't worry, there's plenty of lovin' to go around!" he exclaimed. He moved his head closer to Trisha's and grinned. "You wanna smoochie, too?"

Trisha put both of her hands on Gibbs' shoulders and pushed him. "Ew, Gibbs! What's wrong with you? Get away from me!" she yelled.

"Aw, come on! Show me a little love!" He held his face above Trisha's and made kissing noises.

Trisha reached up and put her hand in the middle of Gibbs' forehead, pushing his head away. "I swear to God, Gibbs! Cut it out!"

Gibbs stuck out his lower lip and pouted. "Ok, I get it. A guy can take a hint. I know when I'm not loved back," he stated dejectedly. He began to move away from Trisha.

"Huh?" Trisha asked. "Hey I never said tha…"

"Gotcha!" Gibbs declared as he swiftly turned back around to Trisha, pulled up her shirt, and gave her a raspberry on her belly.

"Ahhhh, Gibbs!" she squealed and starting giggling. She tried to push him off of her, but he was too strong.

Gibbs stopped and picked his head up. He looked lovingly into Trisha's face. "Now tell me you love me, or I'll do it again!"

Trisha stared back at him. "Aw, Gibbs. Come on, don't make me say it! It sounds so corny!"

He nodded, "Ok, have it your way then," he stated. He took a deep breath and dove back to Trisha's stomach for another raspberry.

"Gibbs!" Trisha gasped between giggles. "Kate, help me!" she pleaded.

Kate complied and grabbed both of Gibbs' legs. She pulled as hard as she could and yanked him away from Trisha. He quickly tried to get a hold of Kate and made a grab for her arms by twisting his body. Kate saw his mistake and, using one of her best Secret Service moves, flipped him onto his back and laid her body across his chest, pinning him to the bed. "Trisha," she breathed as she reached and un-tucked Gibbs' shirts, "payback time!"

"Yes!" Trisha yelled. She dove for Gibbs's stomach, took the largest breath her lungs would allow, and gave him the biggest raspberry she could. When she ran out of air, she inhaled again, moved to a different spot, and gave him another one.

Gibbs was wiggling around under Kate, but she had him in a good hold. He was trying his best to suppress his laughter, but when Trisha hit a spot right above his belly button he totally lost it. "Trisha!" he yelled between gasps. "Please! I'm sorry, I won't do it again! Argghhh!"

Trisha finally let up and pulled Gibbs' shirts back down. She sat back on her heels, put her hand on her hips, and said, "See, that's what you get!"

Kate took the opportunity to scramble off of Gibbs and out of his reach. She got off the bed and stood up. "Anyone want something to drink?" she asked as she headed to the door. When Gibbs made a slight move, Kate headed for the kitchen. "I'll make some lemonade!" she called over her shoulder, leaving Trisha with Gibbs.

Gibbs sighed and rolled over, laying face down on the bed. Trisha smiled and crawled over to him before also laying face down on his back. She wrapped her arms under his body and could feel his heart beating quickly.

When Gibbs' breathing evened out again, he raised himself off the bed a little and dumped Trisha off of him. He turned over and laid down with his head on the pillows. "Come here, Trish," he said softly. When she got close enough, he put his hands under her arms and lifted her up on top of his body so that they were laying chest to chest.

Trisha got herself situated and nestled into Gibbs' neck. She reached over and began playing with his hand; she took her small index finger and started tracing the outline of Gibbs' large hand on the bed.

Gibbs ran his other hand soothingly across her back. "You don't really want to watch 'The Notebook' do you?" he asked, hoping she would say no.

Trisha could feel her eyelids growing heavy as the movement of Gibbs' hand on her back lulled her to sleep. "Can we watch 'The Sandlot'?"

He leaned his chin against the top of her head. "Yea," he agreed, "that's a good one."

Trisha closed her eyes when Gibbs let one hand run through her hair. "Hey Gibbs?"

"Yea, kid?" he answered.

"I'm glad I found you," Trisha said softly.

Gibbs smiled and continued to rub her back. "I'm glad you found me, too," he replied.

"Gibbs?" she asked again.

"What?" He ran his hand through her hair.

"I'm glad I decided to come live with you," she stated quietly as she began to drift to sleep.

Gibbs felt a warm feeling wash over him. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"And Gibbs?" Trisha whispered.

"Mmm hmm," he whispered back.

"I love you," Trisha muttered as she drifted to sleep.

Gibbs closed his eyes and nuzzled her head with his chin. He wrapped both of his arms around her body as he sighed contently. "Love you, too, baby."


	10. Cool

**Chapter 10 - Cool**

Kate walked back to the bedroom to find Trisha zonked out on Gibbs' chest. He was just laying there staring at the ceiling; a giant smile spread across his face. She stood there in the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms folded across her chest, just watching and not saying anything. Kate marveled at the way that this little girl had gotten him to open up so much in such a short amount of time. Deep down, Kate had known that Gibbs had always had a caring side, but she thought _she_ would have been the one to bring it out. She watched as Trisha moved a little and Gibbs automatically started moving his hands in small circles on her back, as if he didn't even have to think about the comforting gesture.

Gibbs turned his head and saw her standing there. "Katie," he whispered and patted a spot next to him on the bed. "Come on over here."

Kate smiled and pushed away from the door frame, but first she picked up a DVD and put it into the player before going to Gibbs. She waited until the menu came onto the TV screen, then chose the 'Play' option. Kate then slowly crawled onto the bed and snuggled into Gibbs' side, resting her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her and rested his hand on Kate's side. He felt her link her fingers with his. When some sappy music started playing from the TV, Gibbs groaned. "Kaaaaaaaate," he said slowly, "this isn't what I think it is… is it?"

She turned her head and lightly kissed Gibbs' neck. "Don't judge 'The Notebook' until you've seen it, Jethro. And besides, I know you're not going to wake up Trisha so you can change a movie," she mused.

"Well, looks like someone's got me all figured out," Gibbs said as he planted a kiss on the top of Kate's head. "So do you think…"

Kate cut him off, "Shhh! Not now Gibbs, the movie's starting!" When she heard Gibbs sigh, she put her hand on the side of his chest that Trisha wasn't sleeping on and ran her hand in random directions. She smiled when she felt his arm tighten around her and draw her closer to his body.

Trisha woke up about half an hour into the movie. She stretched her body a little bit and rolled off of Gibbs carefully so she wouldn't wake him or Kate up. She got a blanket from the bottom of the bed and covered both of them up, but in the process she accidentally brushed Gibbs' shoulder with her hand. She froze as he moved on the bed, but Gibbs just turned on his side and faced Kate. Trisha giggled as Gibbs actually snuggled into Kate's body. She gave Gibbs a peck on the cheek and ran her hand through his hair before she walked out of the bedroom.

Trisha walked through the living room and into the kitchen, intent to get some of that lemonade that Kate had made. She poured herself a glass and was about to find something to do to keep her occupied when she looked out the window and saw Tony, who was pretty much in the same spot where Gibbs had thrown him. Except now, instead of laying face first on the sidewalk, he was sitting Indian-style by the curb with his back resting against a tree. He had his head resting in his hands.

Trisha felt a pang of guilt when she saw the teddy bear laying next to him in the grass. She figured that the bear was probably for her and Tony had come by the house to make amends with her and Gibbs. Trisha went to the bathroom and got a hand towel, then put it in the sink and got it warm with hot water. On the way out of the bathroom, she grabbed another hand towel and went to the refrigerator. She got some ice cubes from the freezer and wrapped them in the other towel, creating an ice pack.

Once she was on the front porch and had quietly closed the front door behind her, Trisha cautiously made her way down the steps and towards Tony. She stopped halfway across the lawn and studied DiNozzo for a minute; she didn't want to go near him if he was still inebriated. Trisha tilted her head to the side. She could see the dried blood on his hands and shirt. "Tony?" she asked quietly.

He opened his eyes and slowly looked at her. "Hey, kid," Tony responded. He put his head back in his hands and looked at the ground in front of him.

Trisha took a few more cautions steps towards his broken figure. "Tony, are you still, um… are you still…"

"Drunk?" he finished her question for her. "No, I'm not. I sobered up pretty quickly after Gibbs nailed me." Tony still couldn't look her in the face. "I screwed up pretty bad, didn't I?" he asked quietly.

"Yea. Yea, you did," she answered as she knelt down in front of him. "But we all make mistakes, Tony." She paused for a moment before she said, "Come on, DiNozzo. Let me get you cleaned up a little bit." Trisha removed his hands from his face and began to wipe the dried blood away with the warm towel. She noticed that the area beneath both of Tony's eyes was starting to darken. "Oooh, you're gonna have two nice shiners tomorrow," she said as she smiled at him. "Here, gimme your hands," she instructed.

Tony complied and held them out, palms up. "You don't have to, you know," he told Trisha as he watched her clean the blood from his fingers.

She shrugged and put the towel with the ice cubes in it into his clean hand. "Hold that on your nose for a little. Maybe it'll help keep the swelling down." Next she moved to his other hand and wiped the blood off the best she could. Trisha moved the ice pack from Tony's nose to look at it for a moment. She took her thumb and forefinger and gingerly felt it. "I don't think it's broken, Tony. You should probably still get it looked at, just to make sure, though." When he looked at her funny, Trisha rolled her eyes. "Three of the families I lived with at one point or another were in the medical business. One was a paramedic, one was an ER doctor, and one was a heart doctor. I spent a lot of time around that kind of crap," she explained. "I just sorta picked stuff up along the way."

Tony smirked, "Gibbs sure was right when he said that you're different."

Trisha put her eyebrows together and looked to the left and right. "Thanks… I think."

He looked back to the ground and picked up the teddy bear that was next to him. Tony held it out towards Trisha. "Here," he said, "this is for you. It seems kind of a dumb idea now…" He paused, thinking about how to start his apology. "Trisha," he sighed as he looked at her, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to see those pictures. I had no idea about your parents. If I would have known, I never would have done anything like that. You gotta believe me…"

She nodded and looked at the ground. "I know, Tony, I know."

Tony glanced back at the house and saw Gibbs and Kate standing on the front porch. Kate had a firm grasp on Gibbs' arm with one hand, while the other was pressing against his chest, as if holding him back. Tony turned his attention back to Trisha. "Gibbs and Kate really care about you, ya know. I mean right now, you have a guy over there who's ready to come over here and rip my throat out. Now _that's_ love," he told her as he nodded his head in Gibbs' direction.

A smile crossed Trisha's face. "I know. And I don't doubt that Gibbs would actually do it, either."

A minute passed before Tony asked, "So, do you hate me?"

Trisha shook her head. "No, I don't hate you. Let's just forget about it, ok? God knows I've been trying to do it for eight years," she muttered.

"Can I get a hug?" Tony asked as he spread his arms out and smiled.

"Yea, what the heck. C'mere, DiNozzo," Trisha giggled as she wrapped her arms around Tony.

Tony patted her back and let her go. "So we're cool then?"

"Yea, we're cool," she responded. "I don't know how cool you are with Gibbs and Kate, though. I mean, you shoved Kate and you really tackled Gibbs!"

Tony sighed heavily as he stood up. "Thanks for reminding me. But I'm kind of lucky, in a way. Gibbs could have easily killed me, but instead he just punched me… hard…"

Trisha took Tony's hand and pulled him towards the house. "Come on, DiNozzo. You gotta make things right with them," she said.

Tony began walking towards Gibbs' house. "Yea, just stay in front of me. Gibbs looks like he's going to wreck me," he whispered to Trisha. He stopped when Trisha let go of his hand and walked to Gibbs, who had come off the front porch. Gibbs reached down and picked her up.

"Hey, Boss," Tony greeted nervously.


	11. Big Fight

**Chapter 11 - Big Fight**

Gibbs glared back at Tony, his blue eyes shooting daggers. It was a good thing that he was holding Trisha; if he weren't he probably would already have gone after the younger agent.

Trisha looked back and forth between the two. She really didn't like the intense look on Gibbs' face. When Tony took another step towards them, she felt Gibbs' body become more rigid. She turned and whispered into his ear, hoping to calm him down a bit. "Gibbs it's alright, he apologized to me. He didn't do it on purpose." Trisha pulled back a little from Gibbs to see his reaction.

Gibbs' face gave away nothing. He nodded in response to Trisha, but gave away no other indication of emotion. "DiNozzo," he growled, "you have one minute to explain why I shouldn't rip you a new one. Now speak!"

Tony gulped and took a deep breath. "Boss, I… I know what I did was stupid. But I was drunk and I wasn't thinking. And when Kate told me to go home, I got pissed. I had my mind set on apologizing to Trisha, right then and there. You know how I am once I get something in my head… one track mind. I didn't mean to hit you like that, either, it's just that you opened the door at the exact same time I charged. I wanted to hit the door, not you." He stopped talking and looked at Gibbs.

Reaching his hand into his pocket, Gibbs pulled out a set of keys and threw them to DiNozzo. "Good. Now get out of here," he ordered.

Tony stared at the keys in his hand. "You took my keys, Boss?"

"Well yea, DiNozzo. You were drunk," Gibbs answered.

Tony thought for a moment. "So if friends don't let friends drive drunk, does this means we're friends, Boss?"

Gibbs shook his head and scowled at him. "DiNozzo!"

"Right, I'm gone!" Tony exclaimed as he turned and made a beeline for his car. He hopped in, started the car, and honked the horn as he drove away.

Trisha let out a breath she had been holding in. "Well, that went well, I guess. You can put me down now, Gibbs," she told him.

Gibbs set her down but kept a strong hold on her shoulder. "You and I need to have a talk. Now," he growled.

Trisha shook loose of his grasp. "Me? What did I do?" She turned and walked into the house.

Kate gave Trisha a questioning look when Gibbs slammed the door behind her. Trisha, looking quite confused, just shrugged. She walked over and sat on the couch near Kate.

Gibbs stormed into the living room. "Trisha, what were you thinking? Were you _even_ thinking? You could have gotten hurt!" he said loudly.

Trisha made a face back at Gibbs. "What are you talking about? And in case you haven't noticed, I'm already hurt!" she said jokingly, pointing to her black eye.

He got angrier, "I'm not kidding around, Trisha! You don't just go up to a drunk, even if it's someone you know! You should know that!"

"Ok, first of all, you can stop yelling at me! And I didn't just walk right up to Tony. I made sure he was safe to go near first," Trisha replied, trying to stay calm. "I don't see why you're so mad. You need to chill out."

Kate had been intently watching Gibbs. After Trisha told him to 'chill out,' she watched his eyes turn a darker shade of blue. She knew that look all too well from watching Gibbs during interrogations - he was about to explode.

"I'll be in my room," Trisha said as she moved to get up.

Gibbs grabbed her and pushed her back onto the couch. "You'll go when I'm done with you!" he roared. He had his hands grasped tightly around her arms, holding her in place. His face was only a few inches from hers now. "If you wanted to go see Tony, you should have woken one of us up! Not just have gone out there by yourself! And what, you made sure it was safe? How?"

Tears were welling up in Trisha's eyes. "I asked him!" she replied quietly, but still with force.

"You asked him?" Gibbs repeated. "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?" When Trisha didn't reply, he yelled, "Well, do you? What the hell made you want to go see someone who just showed you bloody pictures of your parents, anyway!"

"Jethro!" Kate said forcefully. "That's enough!" She put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to quell his anger.

Instead, Gibbs unleashed his anger on her. "You stay out of this, Kate! This is between me and her!"

Kate was taken aback. "Gibbs, listen to yourself! What's gotten into you?"

He shook his head and unwittingly tightened his grasp on Trisha's arms. "I said it's none of your damn business! Stay out of it!"

Kate's mouth hung open in shock. She was about to yell at Gibbs when she noticed the painful look on Trisha's face. Trisha's hands were prying at Gibbs' hands, trying to loosen his grip on her arms. He was holding onto her so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Gibbs, stop it!" Kate yelled as she grabbed his arms. "You're hurting her!"

He whipped his head around to look at Trisha. She had tears streaming down her face. Gibbs immediately let go of her arms when he realized how rough he was being. "Trisha," he started. He reached his hand out, but Trisha smacked it away.

"What do you want from me?" she yelled through her tears. "I've done nothing but love you, I don't have anything else to give you!"

Gibbs reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, baby. I really am," he offered.

"No, Gibbs! Let go! Let go of me!" Trisha cried as she pushed against his chest. When he let go of her, she looked right at him. "You're a liar! You promised me you wouldn't…"

"I didn't mean to," Gibbs said quietly. "I was just worried…"

"You promised me, Gibbs! You told me you wouldn't hurt me like all the others!" She stared into his eyes. "You took me away from my best friend and told me that I could trust you! You liar, I _hate_ you!" With that, Trisha jumped up and ran to her room. She slammed the door and locked it behind her. She dove onto the bed and hugged a pillow to her chest.

Back in the living room, Gibbs and Kate could hear Trisha crying. Gibbs cringed and put his head in his hands. Kate sat down next to him on the couch, glaring at him.

"Gibbs, where did that come from? An hour ago Trisha was cuddled into you on the bed! Why did you yell at her like that?" Kate asked angrily.

He turned his head, meeting her gaze. "She scared me, that's why! When I saw her out there with DiNozzo, all I could think about was her safety. I know he wouldn't have hurt her, but what if it would have been someone else, Kate? I was just trying to make a point. I yelled at her because I care." Gibbs hung his head and looked at the floor.

Kate put an arm around his shoulders. "You know, you have a funny way for showing people you care. Don't worry, Jethro. She'll forgive you."

Gibbs shook his head. "She told me she hates me…"

She reached under his arm and put her hand on his chest. "Hey, if I had a quarter for every time you acted like a bastard… well, I'd be rich!" Kate smiled when Gibbs looked at her. "Wait a little and then go talk to her. She'll forgive you, she just needs a little time, alright?" Kate kissed him lightly and put her head on his shoulder.

Gibbs rested his head on top of Kate's. "I hope you're right, Kate. God, I hope you're right."

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A/N: Spring Break for me starts tomorrow afternoon and runs until the 19th, so it might be some time before I get to update. My home computer is a piece of trash. Don't worry, the story will eventually have a happy ending! 


	12. On the Lam

**Chapter 12 - On the Lam**

Trisha lay on her bed, thinking things over in her head. She had locked herself in her room for the last six hours and still had no intention of coming out. She was in the middle of writing a letter, but this time it wasn't for Rochelle. This particular one was addressed to Gibbs.

Gibbs had come to the door twice; the first time he had apologized quietly and pleaded with her to open the door, but Trisha hadn't complied. The second time he brought her a sandwich on a plate and set it down outside her room, hoping that she would get hungry and at least come out for some food. He was disappointed when he checked back an hour later to find the door still shut tight and the sandwich untouched. Gibbs went to his living room and paced back and forth from the hallway to the window. Eventually he laid down on the couch. He covered his eyes with his arm and sighed.

Kate hated seeing Gibbs like this. She wanted nothing more than to be able to make everything right again. She knelt down beside the couch and put her head on Gibbs' chest as her hand began playing with the silver tuft of hair that peeked out from his unbuttoned polo.

He lifted his arm off of his head and set it around Kate's shoulders. "I didn't think it was going to be this hard," he murmured. Gibbs sat up and pulled her onto the couch next to him.

Kate smiled and shook her head. "Yes you did, Gibbs. I specifically remember you telling me that it wasn't going to be easy, but you were willing to make changes for Trisha. Are you still willing to make those changes?" She took his hand and squeezed it.

Gibbs turned his head and looked into Kate's eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes to make that kid happy again. I just wish…" his voice trailed off as he searched for words. "I just wish I knew what the hell I was doing. I had her trust and then I broke it, and as far as I know she still hates my guts. What if she doesn't forgive me?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"She will. Believe me, Jethro." Kate sighed as she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing midnight. "Listen, I need to go grab some things from my apartment. I'll be right back after that, ok?" she asked as she got up to leave. She got her keys from the kitchen table and walked back to Gibbs, who had laid back down on the couch. She planted a kiss on his forehead and turned to leave when she felt a hand grab her wrist.

Gibbs stood up and pulled Kate around to face him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him. "You know how much you mean to me, right?" he asked her earnestly.

Kate smiled back at him and kissed him passionately. When she broke the kiss she answered, "You mean just as much to me." She kissed Gibbs again before she pulled away and walked out the front door.

Gibbs stood at the window and watched Kate get in her car and drive away. He walked back to the hallway to find Trisha's door still shut. He sighed and went back to the living room.

Trisha waited a couple of minutes before she cracked her bedroom door and peeked out. The house was dark; the only light was coming from the living room. Dressed in jeans and a black sweatshirt, she crept into the hallway and made her way to the front of the house to find Gibbs asleep on the couch. Trisha walked and stood next to him. Tears rolled down her face as she placed the letter she had written on his chest. "I'm sorry, Gibbs," she whispered. She kissed his cheek and turned away quickly before she changed her mind. Once Trisha was outside she quickly ran away from Gibbs' house and into the night.

Fifteen minutes later Kate pulled her car to a stop in front of Gibbs' house. She found the front door unlocked and Gibbs still asleep on the couch. Kate noticed the white envelope on his chest but didn't think anything of it. She glanced down the hallway to find Trisha's bedroom door open and figured that Trisha must have finally come out of her room. She began looking around for the girl but was puzzled when she couldn't find her anywhere. Kate went back to the living room to wake up Gibbs.

"Jethro," Kate called gently as she shook Gibbs' shoulder.

Gibbs jolted awake and blinked hard. He found Kate sitting next to him. "Glad you came back," he smiled at her. "I was just resting my eyes for a couple of minutes."

She nodded. "What's that?" Kate asked, pointing to the white envelope. She picked it up and looked at it before handing it back to Gibbs. "It's in Trisha's handwriting and addressed to you. Her bedroom door's open, but she's not in her room, though. What'd you do with her?"

Gibbs ripped open the envelope and took out the letter. He had a bad feeling in his gut. He unfolded the paper and read it out loud to Kate:

_Gibbs,_

_I'm sorry things had to come down to this, but I think it would be best for the both of us if you didn't have to worry about me anymore. I know you didn't mean to hurt me like that, but I just can't deal with this anymore. Maybe I was meant to be a loner._

_You and Kate deserve each other, and I know you love her very much. Don't be afraid to tell her so._

_Please don't hate Tony forever. He means well, and he needs your guiding hand._

_McGee is learning a great deal from you. He'll make an excellent agent one day. Keep scaring the crap out of him._

_I left $2.12 on the desk in my… well, your guest room. Abby's next Caf-Pow is on me._

_And as for you, Special Agent Gibbs, keep on hunting down the bad guys and protecting the ones who need it. The time I spent with you was the happiest I've been since I lost my family. You're the closest thing to a dad I've had in a long time. Maybe our paths will cross again one day. I'm sorry I told you that I hated you. That's not true; I loved you very much. Still do. And that's why I can't stay with you anymore._

_Please don't worry about me. I have some friends in different places that I can stay with until I figure things out._

_I'll still be watching over you, just from a distance now._

When he finished reading the letter, Gibbs look over at Kate. He had tears in his eyes.

Kate took out her cell phone and tried to pull it together. She knew she needed to be strong for Gibbs. "What do we do?" she asked. "Should we call the police? The Director? I have Secret Service buddies who owe me favors." Kate scooted closer to Gibbs and placed a hand on his forearm. "Jethro, we'll find her. We'll get the biggest search going in all of history, ok?" She rubbed her hand up and down his arm.

Gibbs shook his head in disagreement as he stood up. "There's no need for that. Call the rest of the team and have them meet us at NCIS. I already know where she's going."

* * *

A/N: Finally back from Spring Break. Hope you guys didn't forget what's going on in the story! I actually re-read all the chapters to remind myself where I was going with this. I'm still not sure. I wanted to post an update because I haven't done so in a long time, but my muse is apparently still on vacation, so this is the best I could come up with. Reviews are neat! 


	13. Showing Emotions

**A/N:** I thought I'd throw in some extra Kibbs this chapter. Don't know why, but I was in the romance mood, hehe. Thanks for the reviews, guys.

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Showing Emotions**

Gibbs and Kate walked out of the NCIS elevator and towards the bullpen. Both were surprised to see Tony, McGee, Abby, and even Ducky already hard at work in the search for Trisha. It was nearing three o'clock in the morning. Tony and Ducky were on the telephone making calls to local and surrounding state police departments. Abby and McGee were both working at the same computer, feverishly typing on the same keyboard at once.

When Tony saw Gibbs and Kate come around the corner, he quickly ended his current call to brief them on the team's progress. "Hey Boss. So far Ducky and I have called over 30 police stations, both on the local and state level. We faxed each of them a copy of Trisha's photo, too. They're all on the lookout for her."

Abby stopped typing on the keyboard and walked to Gibbs and Kate. "McGee and I are trying to go over Trisha's file, but we're having a hard time accessing it. There's encryption out the wazoo. Something's hinky here, Gibbs. I think---"

McGee cut her off in mid sentence. "I'm in!" he exclaimed from his desk. He stared at the computer screen with an open mouth for a few seconds before he leaned back in his swivel chair. "Wait, this can't be right. According to this… Wow." McGee rubbed his tired eyes and shook his head.

"Well?" Gibbs asked impatiently as he held his hands out to his sides. "You wanna fill us in, McGee?"

"Oh, sorry Boss," he stammered. "Well, according to this, Trisha was placed in the Witness Protection Program after her parents were murdered in July of 2002. She was indeed four when it happened, Gibbs."

"I knew she was four when it happened, McGee! Give me something useful!" Gibbs barked.

Suddenly it dawned on Kate. "Gibbs, it doesn't _add_ up. I mean, doesn't Trisha seem small for supposedly being 12 years old?"

McGee nodded. "Kate's right. She's not 12, guys. Trisha was born in 1998; she's only 8 years old. When she was given a new identity she was also given a new age. A lot of the families she stayed with in the beginning were actually comprised of FBI agents. She was rifled around New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia for two years until the murderer was caught and sentenced. Only then did the FBI release her into an actual foster care family. Since 2004 Social Services has her listed as being assigned to six different families. Actually seven if you count yourself, Boss…"

The bullpen grew quiet. Gibbs tilted his head back and sighed towards the ceiling. "This kid has been through so much," he said quietly, "and now you're telling me she's really only eight years old?" He fell silent again and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I need coffee," he stated as he headed for the break room.

Kate turned abruptly and walked off in the direction that Gibbs had gone. She found him seated at a table, his head in his hands. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Jethro," she murmured, "I know this is all new for you. And I know it isn't easy for you. Our relationship… your relationship with Trisha… having a family again… But please don't hold your emotions back. I'm here for you and I love you very much. Talk to me." Kate rested her chin on the top of Gibbs' head and waited for him to respond.

Gibbs stood up suddenly and moved away from Kate. He turned his back on her and placed both his hands on the counter, leaning on it as if bracing himself for impact. He shook his head before he began to speak slowly. "Do you think that she's better off without me? That maybe I'm just adding salt to her already open wounds?" Gibbs' voice began to waver as he started rambling. "I can't do this, Kate. Not again. I lost a child once already, I can't handle losing Trisha, too! You're probably thinking, 'Hell Gibbs, you only knew the kid for a couple of weeks!' But it doesn't matter because I see something in her, something that none of those damn foster families could bring out in her. When I'm with her I just feel better. And when it's you, her, and me, I feel whole again. Like I've been given another shot at having a family…" Gibbs' voice trailed off as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He hated crying and hadn't done so in years. But more importantly, he didn't want to look weak in front of Kate. He blinked listlessly as he tried to bury his feelings, but it was no use. He crumpled to the floor as the emotions he'd been holding in for so long all spilled out at once.

In an instant Kate was there for him, her arms holding him in a tight embrace as she whispered words of comfort. She could feel his entire body shaking as he silently wept; not only for Trisha, but for his lost daughter and wife. Kate shifted her body and moved Gibbs' head to her shoulder. She felt him bury his face in her green sweater. "I'm here Jethro, it alright. Everything's going to be ok," she whispered, running her hands up and down his back soothingly. "You made a mistake with Trisha. But she still loves you, she told you that in her letter."

He rolled his head back and forth on Kate's shoulder. "Why'd she leave me?"

Kate thought for a moment before answering. "She's scared, Gibbs. I think she's scared to love you because she's afraid of losing you." She ran her hand through his hair then down his back. "Why do you think it took me so long to come to term with my feelings for you, hmmm?"

Gibbs picked up his head and slowly looked at Kate. He kept one arm wrapped tightly around her as he cupped her face with his hand. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, his red-brimmed eyes darting back and forth between Kate's strong brown ones. "I love you Katie," he said simply. Gibbs finally admitted it and accepted it. When he moved his head and captured Kate's lips with his own, all previous doubts about their relationship deserted his mind. He didn't care if he had fallen in love with his subordinate; in his eyes she was his equal. When he felt Kate's tongue tracing the outline of his lower lip, he forgot the age difference; she made him feel young. He was ready to get on the announcement system and tell the whole NCIS building about his love for this one woman; Special Agent Caitlin Todd.

When the overpowering need to breathe consumed them both, they pulled apart and stared at each other, panting quietly. Kate smiled at a slightly swollen-lipped Gibbs. She noticed that the fire had once again returned to his blue eyes.

He pulled her with him as he stood up. In one swift motion he had her body flush against his. Gibbs put his hands on Kate's hips and began to gently sway back and forth. "Dance with me," he whispered.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. She let him lead to the imaginary music and smiled when he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her more tightly. She turned her head and looked up at Gibbs. "I love you too, Jethro," she said softly.

Gibbs' heart swelled. He looked down at Kate and smiled before he bent his head down to kiss her.


	14. Never Left

**Chapter 14 - Never Left**

Back in the bullpen, no one was having any luck finding Trisha. Ducky and Tony literally ran out of police stations to call. McGee and Abby didn't know what to do with themselves, either; Trisha had no cell phone to trace a GPS, she was too young to have a credit card, and no one had any idea which way she had gone to be able to take a look at any video surveillance.

McGee sighed. "I hoped it wouldn't come down to this, but I'm calling Rochelle to see if Trisha made it to her house." He opened up his cell phone and dialed Chelle's cell number.

On the fifth ring a sleepy voice came on the line. "McGee, why in the world are you calling me at four in the morning?" Rochelle snapped.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, but this won't take long. Is Trisha there with you?" McGee asked hopefully.

There was a pause on the line while she comprehended what McGee asked her. "Wait… what? No she's not here with me, if you want her call Gibbs' place!" Rochelle answered. There was another pause. "Did something happen, McGee?"

"Yea," he answered softly, "Gibbs and Trisha had a fight last night. She ran away and we don't know where she is. Are you sure she's not there, Chelle?"

"Hey, I'd know if Trisha was here, McGee. We'd be partying right now instead of sleeping. I swear to you, she's not here." Rochelle sighed. "Look, I gotta get back to sleep, I have school tomorrow. If Trisha _does_ come here, I'll call you as soon as I can. Keep me posted, ok McGee?"

He sighed in disappointment. "Will do, Chelle. Talk to you later." McGee disconnected the call and put his cell back in his pocket. "Trisha's not at Chelle's place, guys," he stated, turning back to the rest of the team.

Kate and Gibbs came back into the bullpen and sat next to each other on Gibbs' desk. "Anything yet?" he asked.

Tony was about to answer when his cell phone rang. He flipped it open quickly and put it to his ear. "DiNozzo," he answered. Tony listened carefully for a few minutes before his eyes grew wide and he turned pale. "Yea, NCIS. Sicard Street. We'll be waiting." With that he hung up and dropped his cell phone on his desk. Tony looked at Gibbs and Kate, shaking his head.

"Tony, who was that and why are they coming here?" Abby asked. She grabbed McGee's arm and held onto him. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Tony nodded. "That was Washington PD, they think they found Trisha." He paused and stared at a spot on his desk. "They're bringing her here because…" his voice faltered. Tony looked at Gibbs and Kate. "I'm sorry, Boss. They need someone to make an identification on the body…"

Gibbs hung his head and stood up. He began to walk out of the bullpen, but he only made it as far as Kate's desk. Grief overtook him as he sank to the floor. "It's my fault," he said, his voice gravelly.

No one moved or said anything. The elevator dinged and the doors opened, but it didn't look like anyone got out. Kate finally slid off Gibbs' desk and went to him. "We don't even know if it's her for sure yet, Jethro. Don't jump to conclusions," she said quietly.

Gibbs shook his head, trying to block tears that threatened to spill for the second time in the past hour. "She's gone, Kate. I drove her away, and…" his voice diminished to a whisper. Gibbs couldn't hold back any longer. "Oh God," he sobbed, "Trisha's dead, and it's all my fault!"

"I'm not dead," came a small, tiredvoice from the other side of the cubicle. Trisha stepped into view, very much alive. She stared at the carpet in front of her. "I made it as far as the bus station. I thought I'd get a ticket to go home, but then I realized something." She looked from face to face of the team assembled before her. "My home's here with you guys. If you still want me around, I mean. I can understand if you don't…"

Abby let go of McGee and ran to Trisha. She grabbed her and hugged her. "I'm glad you're ok Trisha! Of course we still want you around!"

Trisha let go of Abby and knelt down in front of Gibbs. She stared at her hands and felt tears forming in her eyes. "I… I'm sorry, Gibbs. I just thought that, you know… I thought that _you _were the one who deserved better. I thought that maybe if I left, I wouldn't have to worry about you not wanting me or something like that. I even bought a ticket," she said, tears streaming down her face as she held up a piece of paper. "But I sat on a bench and watched the bus come and go. I couldn't bring myself to get on it. You know why?" She finally worked up enough courage to look at Gibbs' face. When she saw tears streaming down his face as well, she began to cry harder. "Because I… I love you too much to walk away, Gibbs. That's why!" Trisha bowed her head and expected Gibbs to yell at her.

Instead Gibbs grabbed her and pulled her into a strong hug, holding her tightly like there was no tomorrow. "I thought I lost you," he whispered into her hair. "I thought you were gone for good, Trisha." Gibbs pulled back a little and looked her in the face. "Don't you ever, _ever_, do something like that again, understand?"

Trisha nodded and sniffled. "I won't."

"Ever," Gibbs repeated.

"Never again, I promise." She let Gibbs pull her back into him and she wrapped her arms around him in return. She had never felt so safe with one person before. Trisha felt Kate put an arm around her.

Gibbs wrapped one of his arms around Kate and the three of them sat there on the floor, holding each other. "You both mean the world to me," Gibbs said quietly. When he realized that Kate had started crying as well, he nuzzled his chin against the top of her head. "What do you say we get out of here and go home, hmm?"

Trisha nodded against his chest. "I'd like that very much, Gibbs."


	15. Nightmares

**Chapter 15 - Nightmares**

"Kate, are you sure you don't wanna come back with us?" Trisha asked as she paused behind Gibbs' car in the NCIS parking lot.

Kate smiled and shook her head. "I need to go to my apartment and get some real sleep. I have a feeling that Gibbs might be keeping me awake if I come back with you guys," she mused as she winked across the top of the car at Gibbs.

Gibbs chuckled, "I'm actually just too tired. I need to recharge before we do what I'm thinking you're thinking, Katie."

Trisha sighed and made a face. "Ew. Just… no. You two wanna do that, I mean if I'm thinking what you and you are thinking," she said, pointing two fingers at Gibbs and Kate, "then you do that at Kate's place. I'm not even taking the chance that you two end up doing the horizontal hustle somewhere where I eat or sit or… breathe, for that matter!" Trisha shuddered and climbed into Gibbs' passenger seat.

Gibbs and Kate were still laughing outside the car. Kate kissed Gibbs and said goodbye for the time being. "Should I call before I come over later?" she asked him as she climbed into her car. She started the engine and opened her window.

"Nahh," Gibbs responded as he leaned onto her car, "we're not going anywhere. Just use the key I gave you if the door's locked." He bent in the car and gave Kate a kiss on her temple. "See you later," he said, walking back to his car.

Gibbs slid into the driver seat and looked over at Trisha. "The horizontal hustle?" he asked accusingly. "Aren't you a little young to be talking like that? Eight years old, huh?" He saw the worried look on her face, so he gave her a reassuring smile.

"I take it either Abby or McGee got into my file, huh?" Trisha asked quietly.

"Yup," he answered.

"Gibbs, I'm sorry. It's just that the FBI told me that I could never---" she began to explain.

"Trisha," Gibbs cut her off. "Don't apologize for that. I'm proud of you. You were just following orders." He leaned over and put his arm around her shoulders. "You ready to go home, now?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "You're the best, Gibbs."

Gibbs ruffled her hair and chuckled lightly. "Yea, so they tell me."

They drove home in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts. When Gibbs pulled into his driveway and parked the car, he glanced over at Trisha to find her asleep. He ended up carrying her inside the house and put her to sleep in her own bed. Gibbs kissed her forehead and tucked her under her blanket before he shut off the lights. He left the room and closed the door, leaving it cracked a bit so some light from the bathroom nightlight would shine into Trisha's room.

* * *

"_No, please! Leave him alone, you don't want him! You want me! Come and get me!" Trisha yelled to the relentless attacker._

_The man, dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask, just grunted and laughed evilly. "Oh, I will. As soon as I'm done having my fun with him, first!" The attacker turned his attention back to Gibbs, who was lying on the kitchen floor. The left side of his white t-shirt was drenched with blood. The man in the shadows kicked Gibbs hard in the ribs, causing him to cry out in pain. He kicked him hard again. And again._

"_Stop!" Trisha screamed. "Gibbs!" she sobbed._

_The man stopped and turned his attention on her. "I've got to go now, but don't worry. I'll be back for you. All in good time, Trisha. All in good time." He drew a large knife from his belt and grinned wickedly._

_To her horror, Trisha watched helplessly as the attacker hovered over Gibbs. Then, in one swift motion, he brought the knife down and stabbed Gibbs in his stomach. And then he was gone; vanished into thin air, leaving behind a terrible mess in his wake._

_Trisha ran to Gibbs and pressed both of her hands onto the wound. His blood ran between her fingers as he started making gurgling noises. "Stay with me Gibbs, please," Trisha begged as tears ran down her face. She watched as blood started running out of the corner of his mouth._

"_I… I…" he gurgled, trying to speak. He grabbed her hands and held on tight. "I love you Trisha," he finally whispered. Then he was still._

_Trisha felt the life leave his body. "Gibbs?" She grabbed his blood covered shirt and started shaking him. "Gibbs, wake up! Wake up!"_

"GIBBS!" Trisha screamed at the top of her lungs as she bolted upright in her bed, her covers tangled about her body. She felt a sudden wave of nausea hit her as she recalled the image of Gibbs with blood all around him; his blood all over her. Trisha made a dash for the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time as she started violently throwing up.

Gibbs flipped on the light and found Trisha hugging the toilet. She was throwing up, sobbing, and crying out all at once. He sat behind her on the edge of the bathtub and started running his hands up and down her back. Gibbs could feel her tiny body shaking violently underneath his touch. "Trisha, you gotta relax. It's ok, take deep breaths."

"I…" she gasped, "can't…"

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Yes you can. Relax Trisha. Just breathe," he instructed, moving one of his hands to her back and making soothing circles. "That's it, baby. Relax, it's ok now," Gibbs told her. He reached over her body and flushed the toilet, then got a washcloth and soaked it with cold water. Reaching down, Gibbs gently picked up Trisha and closed the toilet lid, then sat her down on top of it. He took the wet washcloth and wiped her face. "Rinse," he commanded, handing her a cup of mouthwash.

Trisha nodded and went to the sink. She swooshed the mouthwash around her mouth and spit it into the sink, then rinsed again with water. She stood at the sink, visibly shaking.

Gibbs disappeared into Trisha's room. He reemerged with a fresh pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Here," he said, handing them to Trisha, "change into these and tell me when you're done." He stepped back out of the bathroom and shut the door, giving her privacy.

She changed into the clothes Gibbs had given her. Trisha's other clothes she had been wearing were drenched in sweat. "Ok," she called weakly.

He came back into the bathroom and got another washcloth. This time Gibbs put it in lukewarm water, then knelt before her and gently wiped Trisha's face and arms. He got a dry towel from the back of the bathroom door and dried her off before he scooped her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom. Gibbs carefully cradled her in one arm and crawled into the middle of his bed. He kept his arms around her and felt her move into him. "You wanna tell me about it, baby?" he whispered to her. "Talk to me, Trisha. I'm here," Gibbs said softly.

Trisha started crying. "It was horrible. There was some guy… and, and he stabbed you. And I couldn't do anything to stop him. There was blood… blood everywhere! I tried to save you and I couldn't. And you couldn't breathe… so much blood…"

Gibbs put a hand on her head and held her to his chest. "Shhh, it's just a dream, nothing more. You're ok, I'm ok, everything's alright. I've got you now, no one can get you. I'll keep you safe, Trisha. Shhh…" he whispered into her hair. He could feel spasms running through her body as she continued to shake.

"I can't sleep, Gibbs. The bad men get me in my dreams," she cried.

"Listen to me right now," he said sternly. "No one can hurt you when I'm with you, ok? I promised to keep you safe, and that's what I'm gonna do. I love you, Trisha," Gibbs stated, nuzzling her head with his chin. His rough stubble caught on her hair.

Trisha snuggled as close as she could to his warm body. She smiled as her breathing evened out more. "You reek like coffee, Gibbs." She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

Gibbs rubbed her back and began to hum, lulling Trisha to sleep. When he was sure that she was asleep and wasn't going to have another nightmare, only then did he allow himself to close his eyes.


	16. Sleepless

**Chapter 16 - Sleepless**

For being so exhausted from the recent events, one would have thought that Gibbs and Trisha would have been out cold before their heads even touched a pillow. On the other hand, it was just the opposite. Trisha didn't want to sleep because she was afraid to dream, and Gibbs didn't want to sleep because he didn't want to let his little girl have another nightmare.

Every time Gibbs would begin to think that Trisha had finally fallen asleep, he would feel her body jolt to keep herself awake. He glanced down to study her face and watched as her eyelids would droop and her head would fall forward against his chest. Seconds later she would shoot her eyes open again. She repeated the process over and over.

Gibbs frowned. "Trisha," he said softly. He got no response. "I know you're still awake, Trisha."

She grunted and huddled as close to his body as humanly possible. Trisha was using Gibbs' bicep as a pillow. She rubbed her face against the fabric of his t-shirt and sighed. "Gibbs?"

"I'm still here," he answered, suppressing a yawn. "You know, you should really get some sleep. You're gonna get sick."

She was silent for a moment. "You don't have to stay awake if you don't want to. I won't get mad or anything like that. And I promise I'll still be here when you wake up, Gibbs."

"I know," he whispered. Gibbs lazily threw his free arm over Trisha's body and started rubbing her back again, hoping to get her to fall asleep. "Something's bothering you."

"Is that a question or a statement?" she asked with a yawn.

Gibbs smirked. "Both, I guess… So you wanna tell me about it?"

"Not really," Trisha answered truthfully.

"But you're going to," he stated.

She sighed impatiently. "You're really pressin' your luck, aren't you?"

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her body. "Spill it, kiddo. You'll feel better afterwards, you know." He felt her body tense up, the same way she had when he asked her about her mother a few weeks ago. Gibbs fell silent and let her think for a few minutes. "Hey," he whispered. He put two of his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up towards him. He smiled warmly, his eyes holding love. "Talk to me." His smile faded as he saw tears forming in Trisha's eyes. "C'mere, baby," he said, pulling her head back to his chest. "I didn't mean to make you cry. You don't have to tell me, I understand."

Trisha sighed, "I want to tell you, Gibbs. I really do. This is just hard for me, you know?"

"Believe me kiddo, I know. But whenever you _are_ ready to talk, I'll listen." He rested his chin on the top of her head.

A few minutes later, Trisha pulled back from Gibbs and out of his embrace. She sat up on the bed and looked at him. "When I was taken into protective custody," she began, "I had to leave behind everything I ever knew. Everything I had left, which really wasn't much. When the FBI moved me to New York, they wouldn't let me bring anything with me. All I had to remind me of my mom and dad was that photograph I showed you…" Her voice trailed off as she focused on the wall behind Gibbs.

He reached out and squeezed her small hand in support.

Trisha shook her head. "They said that they would store everything in one of those storage lots somewhere. Later on I found out that there was a fire and… it destroyed everything."

Gibbs sat up, his hand still grasping hers. "Oh, Trisha…"

"That's not the problem, Gibbs. I…" she stuttered. "I can't remember what my mom's voice sounds like anymore…" Her head bowed as she started to cry.

He reached out and captured her face in his hands. Trisha flung herself at him, and Gibbs caught her as she clung to his shirt and cried. His arms automatically went around her and he buried his face in her hair.

"Gibbs, I don't even know what happened to their bodies. I don't even know where they're buried… I've never been to their graves. I never got to say goodbye. It wasn't supposed to happen like that, they were supposed to die when they were old and I had a family of my own to be with! They left me… everyone lea---"

He cut her off. "You know I won't leave you, baby." He took her by her shoulders. "I can find out where they're buried, if you want me to. We can go visit them."

Trisha's eyes searched his face. "You can do that?"

"Of course I can," he answered with a smile. He reached up and wiped her tears away. "I'd do anything for you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "We can go to sleep now," she whispered as she laid down on his bed. "Is it ok if I stay here with you?"

"You bet," he said. Gibbs laid down next to her on his side, bringing the covers up with him. He tucked the blanket around Trisha's body. As soon as he settled down, Trisha moved over and snuggled into him. He started running his hand through her hair. "You're giving me a head rub tomorrow, Trisha. It's been too long since the last one."

She smiled against his chest. "Ok, Gibbs…" Trisha put her arm under his and rested it on his side. "Love you," she murmured as she drifted peacefully to sleep.

He kissed her head lightly. "Night, kiddo…"

* * *

**A/N:** This is definitely the shortest chapter I've written in a long time. Sorry, not feeling all that great at the moment... Bleh.


	17. Clear Out

**Chapter 17 - Clear Out!**

Gibbs woke up to the aroma of bacon floating into his bedroom. He turned his head to look at his alarm clock; it was 1:22 in the afternoon. Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs noticed movement in the doorway and found Kate smiling at him. She didn't say anything, just looked at him holding Trisha in his arms.

"_What_ are you smiling at?" Gibbs whispered in a hushed tone.

Kate's grin only got bigger. "I never would have guessed that you like snuggling so much, Gunny." She took out her cell phone and turned it to the 'camera' mode. "You know, this would look really cute on an office Christmas card. Smile for the camera, Gibbs!"

"Don't you dare take that picture, Agent Todd, or--" Gibbs said a little too loudly. He grimaced when Trisha moaned and stretched against him.

"Or what, Gibbs? Just let me zoom in on your sexy silver bed head… oh yea, that's it. Now work it for the camera, Gibbs!" 'Click' went the camera. Kate paused to view the screen and giggled at the picture. She held the cell up again. 'Click, click!'

Gibbs sighed impatiently, "I swear Kate, if that gets out…"

"Why Gibbs? Don't you wanna be seen with me?" Trisha mused, her head still buried underneath his arm.

He groaned and tried to burrow his head underneath a pillow. "Quit ganging up on me," he whined.

"Jethro, you're starting to sound like Tony!" Just then Kate's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and realized that the incoming call was Abby. She snickered, "Oh, you're gonna wanna hear this, Gibbs. It's on speakerphone."

Gibbs' head shot up curiously. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

Kate smiled back at him and stuck out her tongue. "Hey Abby!" she said to the cell.

"Hey Kate!" came a cheery response. "Did you just take that picture?"

"Uh huh, they're still snuggling as we speak!" Kate exclaimed. "I was thinking of putting that on a Christmas card for the office. Can you handle that for me?"

Gibbs' eyes got wide and turned a darker shade of blue. "Abby, don't you even remotely think about it!" he yelled. "If you value McGee's life at all…"

"Too late, Boss," came a male voice over the speakerphone. "It's already been done. Kate, I'm sending it to your phone right now," McGee stated. "I'm also fleeing the country and going into hiding so Gibbs won't find me…"

"Oh relax, Timmy," Abby could be heard saying. "Gibbs won't really kill you. I think…"

Kate's phone chimed, signaling a new multimedia message. "Oh my God, it's perfect!" she squealed as she viewed the picture. "I'll send it to everyone in my address book right now!"

"Like hell you will!" Gibbs yelled as he rolled over Trisha's body.

"Gibbs! Get off me!" Trisha shrieked.

Gibbs landed on the floor on his hands and knees, jumped up, and made a run for Kate. "Give me that phone Caitlin Todd!" he yelled, feigning anger.

Kate just screamed like a little girl and turned around, darting down the hallway and out of Gibbs' reach. She threw the phone over her shoulder as Gibbs pursued her. "Take it! Take it!" she cried.

"You are _so _mine!" Gibbs threatened, totally ignoring the phone as he ran past it on the carpet.

"Kate?" Abby yelled into the phone. "What's going on?"

Trisha picked up the cell. "Hey Abby, it's Trish. Um, Gibbs is running after Kate at the moment, so she's a little preoccupied. Wanna talk to me?"

"Sure," she replied happily. "Give me a play by play on what's going on. McGee, come listen to this!" Abby yelled.

Trisha followed the squeals to the living room and rolled her eyes at the sight. "Ok," she said to the phone, "right now Kate and Gibbs are separated by a couch. Threats are being made… mostly by Gibbs. Wait, wait! Kate's got a pillow and she's telling Gibbs she's gonna nail him with it. He's mocking her; saying she won't do it and--- Oh, snap! Kate just whacked Gibbs in the head with the pillow!"

Laughter emanated from the phone. "I so wish I could see this! What's happening now?" Abby asked.

"Gibbs is down! He rolled over the back of the couch and he's just laying on the cushions not moving! I think Kate really knocked him out! She's trying to wake him up and, wait, no! Gibbs was faking, he's got a hold of Kate now! He just flipped her onto the floor… and now he's got her pinned. Uh oh, they're staring at each other with that look! Oh gross, they just started making out! Ew, Abby, there's a lot of moaning and groaning and… hold on, Abby." Trisha held the phone away from her face. "TAKE IT TO THE BEDROOM!" she yelled. Much to Trisha's dismay, they followed her command.

Gibbs' lips never left Kate's as he picked her up off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his body and let him carry her into the bedroom.

Trisha stood there in the living room, her mouth hanging open. "Oh my God, Abby! For the love of God, Gibbs just picked up Kate and carried her to the bedroom! They're gonna… ewwww! Abby, come get me!" Trisha snapped the cell shut and searched for the TV remote. She turned on the TV and cranked the volume as loud as it could go, hoping to drown out any noises coming from the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Gibbs and Kate were really going at it. Suddenly some rationality hit Gibbs. "Kate," Gibbs said between kisses. "Kate," _kiss_, "we gotta," _kiss_,"stop."

Kate pulled back from Gibbs, panting. "Why?"

"We can't do this with Trisha in the living room knowing what we're doing. It would be too weird." He raised Kate's hand to his lips and placed a kiss in the middle of her palm.

Kate nodded and suddenly became embarrassed. "I can't believe we almost… and with her out there…" A smile spread across Kate's lips. "Jethro, I thought you were going to say that you didn't want me."

Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. "Trust me Katie, there is nothing I want more than you right now…" He looked towards the door.

She took the opportunity and nibbled on his ear. Kate smiled satisfactorily when she hit the sensitive spot on his neck, causing him to groan.

"Oh God, Kate. We gotta get Trisha out of the house. Right now!" Gibbs said as he jumped up and ran out the bedroom door. "Hold that thought!" he yelled over his shoulder as he jogged into the living room. "Trisha, go get dressed. Move it!" he instructed.

Trisha stood up and looked at Gibbs. "Gross, Agent Gibbs. Seriously---"

He stepped forward and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Gibbs stopped and picked up Kate's cell phone as it began ringing again. Seeing it was Abby, Gibbs flipped it open. "Abby, where are you? I need you to take Trisha out for some food or something. Get over here. Now! Ten minutes? Good." He hung up and continued into Trisha's bedroom, carrying her in a fireman style.

"Gibbs, I can walk, you know!" Trisha giggled over his shoulder.


	18. Breakup

**Chapter 18 - Breakup**

Gibbs plopped Trisha down on her bed and knelt down in front of her. He got a serious look about him and thought for a moment. "Ok kid, listen to me now, because I'm never repeating this. Sometimes, when a man and a woman love each other very much---"

"Gibbs!" Trisha cried. "What's the matter with you? No, no, no, no, no…" She stuck her fingers in her ears and shut her eyes tight. "La la la la I can't hear you la la la la…"

He sighed and tried to remove Trisha's fingers from her ears "Come on, we should talk about this," he said. When Trisha stuck out her tongue at him, Gibbs took her wrists and pushed her back on the bed, pinning her down. "Listen." He towered over her.

Trisha rolled her eyes. "Gibbs, we don't need to talk about it. First of all, I'm only eight. Eight, Gibbs," she repeated, holding up eight of her fingers. "There will be plenty of time for this discussion later!"

He smiled and released her wrists. Gibbs moved his hands and placed his palms against Trisha's on the bed. "I just want to make sure, you know, you're alright with it. I don't want you to get mixed signals or…" He let out another sigh and looked up at the ceiling before he sat down next to her on the bed. "I just want you to understand…"

She giggled at his obvious frustration. "Hey, if you and Kate want to get all down and funky, you don't have to ask me about it. In fact, don't even tell me about it; I don't wanna know." Trisha sat up and nudged him with her shoulder. "By the way, you've got Kate's lipstick all over your face," she laughed.

Gibbs groaned and put his face in his hands.

Trisha moved to a kneeling position behind him and put her chin on his shoulder. She made a sniffing noise by his ear. "Oh man, you even smell like her perfume!" She put her arms over his shoulders and leaned forward. "And look at that! She left a trail of kisses on your shirt!"

"Ok, that's it!" he exclaimed and flipped Trisha over his shoulder. He held her upside down for a moment before dropping her onto the bed and tickling her. "Get changed, Abby should be here soon," he eventually said. He bent at the waist and placed a kiss on her head, then turned to leave.

"Hey Gibbs?" Trisha asked.

"What?" he asked, turning back around.

"Please shower and change the sheets before I get back later!"

Gibbs just smiled and shook his head. He walked out of her bedroom and shut the door behind him. He found Kate, Abby, and McGee in the living room.

Abby held up a large printout of the Christmas card McGee had just recently created. "So whatcha think, Papa Gibbs?"

"Abby," he growled in response, "please tell me that's the only one you guys have."

She did her best to suppress it, but Abby couldn't help looking guilty. "Ok, then I'll tell you that this is the only copy we have in _our_ possession."

Gibbs sighed in relief. "Good," he said as he walked into the kitchen to get coffee.

"The other copies are already in the NCIS mailroom!" Abby called to him. When Gibbs came storming back into the room, Abby threw McGee in front of her. "It was McGee's idea, get _him_, not me!"

McGee's eyes grew wide. "What? Boss, it was not!"

Trisha stood next to Kate in the hallway. When Kate showed her the picture she had taken of Gibbs with Trisha curled tightly into him, Trisha giggled at the sight. Both Kate and Trisha's attention quickly turned back to the scene in the living room when Gibbs became a little more vocal.

"Damn it, I don't care whose idea it was! You better get them all back before anyone sees them, or I'll make sure you both get janitorial duty for the next month! Do I make myself clear?" Gibbs' face was now only inches away from McGee's.

"Kate?" Trisha asked. "How come Gibbs is makin' such a big deal out of this photo? Doesn't he want people to know about me or something?" She looked up to Kate, her eyes holding confusion.

"Oh, it's not that, honey. It's just that Gibbs has a reputation for being such a tough bast… errr, tough guy; he doesn't want people to see his caring side." Kate smiled at her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Oh," Trisha replied quietly, her eyes on the carpet. "It's just that, I don't know. He tells me he loves me and then goes and acts otherwise…" Trisha shook her head. "Yea, I'll see you later, Kate." She shrugged Kate's hand off her and went for the door. "C'mon Abby, McGee. Let's go get something to eat," she said flatly.

McGee and Abby quickly darted past Gibbs and out the front door.

Back inside, Gibbs had no idea what he had done to Trisha's feelings. "I thought they'd never leave," he muttered as he turned to Kate. Gibbs was startled when he saw the angry look she held on her face. "Kate?" he asked.

"Why do you have to be such a bastard all the time, huh?" Kate asked loudly, an edge to her tone. When Gibbs stared back at her, she shook her head. "You just don't get it, do you?"

Gibbs was puzzled. Twenty minutes ago he and Kate were kissing, now she was yelling at him. "You have something you'd like to share with me?" he asked, a hint of agitation in his voice.

"Why yes, Gibbs. I think I do!" She held out her phone and showed him the picture she had taken of him and Trisha.

"What about it?" he growled.

"Trisha thinks that because you don't want those Christmas cards to go out to people it means that you don't want to be seen with her!" Kate was fuming. "You know what she just said to me? She said, 'He tells me he loves me and then he goes and acts otherwise.' Honestly, Gibbs, so far you've been pretty lousy at this whole father thing." She stormed past him and out the front door, slamming it shut behind her. Kate stomped down the steps and into Trisha's path. "Trisha, I thought you left? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Abby told me to go grab a jacket, I forgot it. Did you and Gibbs just have a fight?" Trisha asked worriedly.

Kate sighed. "We had an argument, yes."

"It wasn't over me, was it? You didn't tell him what I said, did you?" Trisha's eyes darted back and forth between Kate's.

Kate nodded. "Yes. Yes I did. He needed to know that he was being insensitive. And honestly, right now I just don't have the gumption to put up with him. I'm tired of his emotional self-inadequacies!"

Trisha's eyes grew wide as she listened to Kate blow off steam. "Kate, take it easy, I'm sure Gibbs---"

"No. You know what, you tell him that when he's ready to be the sensitive man I know he can be, then you tell him to come find me. Until then… I just need a break from all this." And with that she briskly walked to her car, got in, and drove away.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, well, I think I might take a break from writing for a bit. One: I've hit a writer's block. Two:Where the heck did all my reviewers go? Three: If you guys want to see this story continued, please let me know. When I only get one or two reviews it makes me think that people aren't reading it anymore and/or they've lost interest... 


	19. Plans

**Chapter 19 - Plans**

Trisha walked back into the house to find Gibbs seated on the couch, his head in his hands. When she closed the door and turned back around, Gibbs was looking at her. She couldn't match his gaze. Her eyes dropped to the floor. "It's my fault," she said. Trisha waited for a response, but got none. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I always screw everything up. Maybe if I hadn't told Kate what I did she wouldn't have gotten mad and---"

Gibbs had silently gotten up from the couch and knelt in front of Trisha. He put his pointer finger under her chin and tilted her face upwards to look at him. "We'll get her back, kid," he said simply, then wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"I'm sorry," Trisha repeated quietly, her face buried in Gibbs' shirt.

"Me too, Trish," he replied, rubbing her back. "Me too."

A few minutes later Trisha picked her head up off of Gibbs' shoulder. "You still want that head rub?" she asked him.

He smiled back at her, his blue eyes twinkling. "You offering one?"

She stepped back and took his hand, pulling him towards the couch. Trisha guided Gibbs to sit on the floor, his back resting against the front of the sofa. She climbed and sat behind him on the cushions in an Indian style.

"Ok, now close your eyes and relax Gibbs," she instructed.

Gibbs nodded and closed his eyes. He sighed contently when Trisha's hands started gently sliding through his silver hair.

Trisha smiled as Gibbs shifted and leaned his head backwards against her legs. She kept moving her hands, starting from the front of his hairline and slowly working backwards until her fingers would hit her legs, then lightly retraced the same path she had just followed. She began to apply a little more pressure with the tips of her fingers and began to lightly massage his head. "How's this, Gibbs?" she asked.

He just moaned quietly. "You're really good at this, kid."

She leaned forward to see his face. Gibbs was sitting there, wearing that same goofy smile that he had shown when she first gave him a head rub. Trisha kept one hand moving through his hair while she moved the other to his chest. She made random patterns on his shirt and felt his muscles relax under her touch.

Fifteen minutes later, Gibbs scared the crap out of her when he jumped up suddenly. "C'mon," he said as he reached out for her and put his hands under her arms. Gibbs picked her up and sat down on the sofa, placing Trisha in his lap so that her back was against his front.

"Gibbs," she giggled, "whatcha doin?"

"Your turn," he said with a smile. "Now close your eyes and relax."

Trisha shrugged and closed her eyes. She felt Gibbs remove her pony tail holder and ruffle her hair out a little.

Gibbs ran his hands through Trisha's hair and repeated, gesture for gesture, the exact same process she had done for him. Except, in the end, Trisha fell asleep in Gibbs' lap, her head resting against his chest. He kept one arm around her middle, the other hand holding the remote for the television as he channel surfed aimlessly.

She wasn't asleep for long. "I know how we're gonna get her back," Trisha stated sleepily as she woke up.

"Hmm?" Gibbs asked the little girl.

"Kate. I know how we're gonna get her back." She tilted her head back against his chest and looked at him upside down. "I have a really good idea…"

"I sense a 'but' coming," Gibbs said, smirking.

Trisha smiled and nodded once. "But it's gonna take some careful planning and pride swallowing." She paused for a minute, deep in thought. "Gibbs, how good's your singing voice? And what do you think of Jimmy Buffett?"

His eyebrows went up as he stared down at her. "What are you thinkin, kid? I was thinking more along the lines of a candlelight dinner…"

She twisted around in his lap to face him. "That's too boring. You need something that's gonna catch her off-guard. You know how Abby and Kate sometimes go out for drinks after work? Well I, for one, know that the place they go to has an open mic night…"

He shook his head. "Are you serious? Trisha, there's no way I'm singing in front of---"

"Gibbs, do you want her back or not?" she asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Of course you know I want her back," he answered quickly. Gibbs reached out and tucked some of Trisha's hair behind her ear.

She smiled at his caring gesture. "Good. I have the perfect song in mind, too. Let me go get the CD." Trisha climbed out of Gibbs' lap and scurried off to her bedroom. She came back to the living room and put the CD in the DVD player. Trisha took the remote from Gibbs and pressed the 'play' button. She went back to Gibbs, crawled into his lap, and they listened to the song together.

When it was over Trisha hit the 'stop' button. "Well, what do ya think?"

Gibbs was silent for a moment. "Oh, what the hell, she's worth it." He held out his hand for Trisha to shake. "You got yourself a deal."

She grasped the three of Gibbs' fingers that she could get her hand around. "Deal," she replied, beaming from ear to ear. "We're gonna need the team's help on this."

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, I'm back and refreshed! I got a little overwhelmed with trying to balance out school work and my writing, but I think I found a happy medium. I just might not get to update as often as I'd like; things are getting busy as the semester's starting to wind down. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, offered words of encouragement, or ideas for the story. I'm glad you guys are still reading it!


	20. Setting Up

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long to get up. I actually had it written for quite some time, but the site wouldn't let me upload for some reason or another. So here is the next installment for you reading pleasure! As always, thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Setting Up**

Trisha got on the phone and dialed Abby's cell number. She sat down at the kitchen table and watched Gibbs making coffee.

"Gibbs, what the hell did you do to Kate?" came an angry voice on the other line.

"No Abby, it's me, Trisha. Sorry for standing you and McGee up like that, but I kinda figured you'd go after Kate… Did you… go after Kate?" she asked.

"I thought you were Gibbs. Can you put him on the phone? I have this long speech made up that I planned to give him!" Abby paused. "On second thought, why don't you just tell me what happened? I mean, Tim and I followed Kate to her apartment and made sure she got there safely, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her. What happened?"

The little girl sighed. "I don't know Abby, it's kinda my fault. Gibbs didn't even do anything to Kate, she got mad at him because he was being an unknowing jerk to me… I guess he's gotta work on that some more."

"So he didn't do anything to her?" Abby inquired.

"Not that I know of, no," Trisha said. "You're gonna hafta save your speech for later, Abs!"

"Oh my God, you called me Abs! Gibbs is rubbing off on you already! Awwwwww," she cooed over the phone.

Trisha rolled her eyes. "Yea, so look. I have a plan for Gibbs to get Kate back, but I need your help on this. I need everyone's help, actually. This is gonna be an undercover operation! You in?"

"Oooh, sounds hinky! Of course I'm in. McGee's good to go, too. You're on speakerphone as of _beep _right now!" Abby sang in a weird voice. "What do you have in mind?"

"Ok, well you know that bar you and Kate sometimes go to?" Trisha asked Abby.

"You mean Scruff's? The one with the neon green cactus in the front window?" McGee piped up.

"Um… yea. Well, you know how it has open mic night where anyone can go sing? Gibbs agreed to sing a song to Kate," Trisha said slowly. "And I need your help to get her there."

"Oh my God!" Abby shrieked. "That's so… oh my God!"

Trisha winced and held the phone away from her ear.

Gibbs smiled and shook his head at Trisha. "I take it she's excited?"

She pulled a ' well duh!' face back at Gibbs. He ruffled her hair a little on his way out of the kitchen, coffee in hand.

"What song is he gonna sing? Do you know yet?" Abby probed.

"Well, I had a song in mind that I played for Gibbs, but I think I might have come up with a better one since then. Plus I didn't really want to start him off with anything too heavy, he might have sissied out on me and---"

"Hey, what did you just say?" Gibbs yelled from the living room.

"Oops, too loud," Trisha said more quietly into the phone. "I said 'a squirrel went up the tree'!" she yelled back to Gibbs.

Abby snickered and McGee rolled his eyes. "Good save there, kid," he said into Abby's cell phone.

"Gee, thanks McGee…" Trisha paused and cleared her throat. "Yea, so the song I was thinking of first was by Jimmy Buffett. But I thought of a much better one by Brad Paisley, it fits Kate almost perfectly!"

"Isn't he a country singer? Do you think Gibbs can pull off country?" Abby started laughing.

"Abby, I'm not sure if Gibbs can pull off any song. Have you ever heard him sing?" McGee asked her.

She thought for a little bit. "Well… no, come to think of it. What if he's really bad, Trisha?"

"I'm going more for the 'shock and awe' aspect of it, you know? I want Kate to realize, 'Hey, here's big tough ex-Marine Leroy Jethro Gibbs singing a love song to me in front of a crowd of strangers, the man has to love me' or something along those lines. Plus I figure one of you guys can slip Kate a piece of paper with the lyrics on it in case Gibbs really sucks at singing. So when's the next singing night?" Trish asked.

"Well, they're every Wednesday night. Can you have the Silver Haired Fox ready by then?" Abby responded.

"You bet, Abs. Just make sure you get Kate at the bar and near the stage when Gibbs is ready to sing. We'll work out the details later. I gotta go… I'm starving!"

"Ok, talk to you later!" Abby said cheerfully.

"Bye Trisha!" McGee called.

Trisha hung up the phone and went to find Gibbs. She noticed the basement door open and poked her head through the doorway to look down the stairs. The light was on and she could hear movement. "Gibbs?" she called.

"Yea, I'm here. Come down if you want," he replied.

She made her way down the stairs and found Gibbs sanding his boat. "So you want a pizza or something?" he asked her once she hit the bottom step.

"Were you listening in on the conversation?" Trisha watched him smirk. "Gibbs!"

He sat the sander down on the work bench behind him. "Come on, let's go get some food." Gibbs walked to Trisha and picked her up, carrying her up the stairs. "What do you want on your pizza? Peppers, onions, anchovies?"

"What? No, ew! How about cheese? You know, the stuff normal people eat. Why would you want to put small dead salted fish on a piece of pizza, anyway? That's gross!" Trisha rambled.

Gibbs laughed at her. "How about half cheese, half ham and pineapple? I could really go for some of that right now…"

She sighed. "Yea, sounds good. Just hurry up and order it before I waste away to nothingness!"

He sat her down on the kitchen counter and called the pizza place. "Yea, I want one large pizza, half cheese, half pineapple and ham. Gibbs residence. Yea, that's the address. Ok." He hung up and turned to Trisha. "It should be here in about fifteen minutes. If not I get to terrorize the delivery boy!"

"Yea, you terrorize people, all right…" Trisha snickered.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Don't start something you can't finish," he warned.

"Bring it on, big boy!" To her surprise Gibbs grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder for the second time that day. "I'm too weak! I need food first, Gibbs! Put me down!"

He took her into the living room and plopped her on the couch, then sat down beside her. Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him. Trisha nestled into his body and they sat in a comfortable silence, waiting for the pizza to arrive.


	21. Performance

**A/N:** Back from Easter break - only 24 days of college left until summer. Sweet. Sorry this took so long to get up; I really didn't have either the ideas or the time. But here it is... finally!

* * *

**Chapter 21 - Performance**

It seemed like it took forever for the days to pass, but it was finally time for Gibbs to put on his show. Trisha had spent many hours trying to teach him how to sing the song for Kate. It didn't start out too well; Gibbs' stubbornness to avoid trying anything new and Trisha's unwillingness to give up had collided with each other. However, in the end, Trisha was confident that Gibbs was more than ready and that her plan would indeed work.

Getting Kate to actually go to the bar had been a challenge for Abby, McGee, and Tony. Usually Kate would jump at the offer to spend some time with her friends away from the office, but she had cited that there was too much work to be done to allow herself to have any fun. More importantly, she was tired and needed the rest. For two days she had sat in her cubicle next to Gibbs, ignoring him to the best of her abilities. Who thought the simple act of ignoring could take the energy out of one so easily?

Abby and McGee had both tried to get Kate to go out with them, but to no avail. The real kicker came from Tony: "Why don't you wanna come out with us? You miss Gibbs too much? Yea, I'll bet that's it. You miss his silver hair and blue eyes---"

And Kate's eyes had lit with fire as she slammed the files she had been holding down on her desk. She grabbed her things and threw them in her bag. Quickly putting on her jacket, Kate stomped off to the elevator. "If we're going for drinks then you'd all better get the hell over here in the next ten seconds!"

Tony could have sworn he saw actual smoke coming from Kate's ears as he boarded the elevator behind her. He made a silent prayer that this plan to get Kate and Gibbs back together would work - for everyone's sake.

* * *

Back at Gibbs' house, Trisha was in the process of picking out something for Gibbs to wear. She chose a pair of his jeans and a blue polo that brought out his eyes. She laid the clothes on the bed and went looking for him. Trisha found him in the basement, feverishly sanding his boat. "Gibbs," she said softly as she walked down the stairs.

He stopped sanding but didn't look up. His grip on the hand sander was so tight that it made his knuckles turn white.

Trisha stepped off the stairs and came up next to Gibbs. She put a hand on his back and gently made circles. "What's the matter?" she asked. Trisha reached out and gently gripped Gibbs' hand as he remained grasping the sander.

Gibbs moved and put the tool down. He turned back around and knelt down in front of Trisha. "Do you honestly think this is gonna work?" he asked, his blue eyes searching the little girl's face.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled. "Not only do I think this is gonna work, but I think it just might make Kate fall for you all over again," Trisha answered reassuringly.

Gibbs drew her into a strong hug. He placed his chin on her shoulder, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply. "What would I do without you, kid?" he asked softly.

In response, Trisha hugged Gibbs' body tighter. "Come on," she said as she glanced at the clock on the wall, "you gotta get ready. It's almost time to go."

He nodded and slowly backed away from her embrace. Gibbs stood and walked up the stairs with Trisha on his heels.

* * *

Kate had been at the bar for over an hour and a half. She sat there at a table, her back to the stage, nursing the same drink the whole time. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get into the conversation taking place around her. Her mind kept wondering back to Gibbs_. I'm still angry with him, but at the same time I want to forgive him. I want some alone time, yet I want to be in Gibbs' arms. I want… _Kate laughed at herself. Hell, she didn't really know what she wanted at all. She just wished the time would go by faster so she could go home. Suddenly she noticed that Abby, McGee, and Tony had grown quiet. Their eyes were all glued to the stage where people were singing their heart's out.

"This song goes out to a very special lady in the house tonight," came a little girl's voice over the speakers.

Kate knew that voice. She whipped her head around to look at the stage.

"If you're listening right now," Trisha continued, "this guy up here wants you to know how much he misses you and how much you mean to him. Here's Special Agent Gibbs with Brad Paisley's _She's Everything_."

Much to Kate's astonishment, Gibbs came walking out onto the stage, microphone in hand. He nodded, giving the signal for the music to start. Gibbs found Kate almost instantly in the small crowd. He locked eyes with her and took a deep breath. He let the musical introduction play before he began to sing. Gibbs started out a bit timidly, but his confidence grew the further he got in the song.

_She's a yellow pair of running shoes, a holey pair of jeans  
She looks great in cheap sunglasses, she looks great in anything  
She's I want a piece of chocolate, take me to a movie  
She's I can't find a thing to wear, now and then she's moody _

She's a Saturn with a sunroof, with her brown hair a-blowing  
She's a soft place to land and a good feeling knowing  
She's a warm conversation that I wouldn't miss for nothing  
She's a fighter when she's mad and she's a lover when she's loving

_And she's everything I ever wanted and everything I need  
I talk about her, I go on and on and on  
'Cause she's everything to me_

Gibbs walked to the left side of the stage and slowly down the steps. He began making his way towards Kate's figure at the table.

_She's a Saturday out on the town and a church girl on Sunday  
She's a cross around her neck and a cuss word 'cause its Monday  
She's a bubble bath and candles… baby come and kiss me  
She's a one glass of wine and she's feeling kinda tipsy _

She's the giver I wish I could be and the stealer of the covers  
She's a picture in my wallet of my unborn children's mother  
She's the hand that I'm holding when I'm on my knees and praying  
She's the answer to my prayer and she's the song that I'm playing

_And she's everything I ever wanted and everything I need  
I talk about her, I go on and on and on  
'Cause she's everything to me_

He now stood directly in front of Kate, his eyes never leaving hers. He knelt down in front of her and took her hand, gently squeezing it.

_She's the voice I love to hear someday when I'm ninety  
She's that wooden rocking chair I want rocking right beside me  
Everyday that passes I only love her more  
Yeah, she's the one that I'd lay down my own life for…_

Gibbs watched as Kate's eyes welled with tears. He gently removed his hand from hers and lovingly wiped away the tears that had already fallen down her cheeks.

_And she's everything I ever wanted and everything I need  
She's everything to me y__eah she's everything to me_

Kate moved her hand and placed it on Gibbs' cheek. She scooted closer to him in her chair and wrapped her arms around his body.

_Everything I ever wanted and everything I need  
She's everything to me…_

When Gibbs finished the song, he pulled back and looked at Kate, his eyes going back and forth between hers. "I love you, Katie," he said into the microphone. "Come back to me," he half asked, half stated.

She sniffled and smiled through her tears. "Yes," she nodded.

"Yes?" Gibbs repeated.

Kate leaned in and kissed Gibbs with all the passion that she possessed. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her body closer to his.

Around them, the small crowd in the bar cheered and clapped.


	22. Down Time

**Chapter 22 - Down Time**

It was nearing ten o'clock by the time the NCIS team finally left the bar. McGee and Abby went off together and Tony excused himself to chase some blonde chic he met (no surprise there).

Gibbs, Kate, and Trisha got into the same car and headed for Kate's apartment so she could get some things. They drove in a comfortable silence for a while before Kate spoke up.

"So what made you do this, Gibbs?" she asked as she looked out the car window.

"What, you mean drive you to your place?" he responded, knowing full well what she meant.

Kate rolled her eyes and turned her head, smirking at him. "You know what I mean. What made you sing that song in front of all those strangers?"

Gibbs sighed and pressed the break as the car neared a red light. He thought for a moment, his fingers grasping and releasing the steering wheel. "It was really Trisha's idea, Kate. You've got her to thank. I was more for a nice little dinner… but the kid wanted more of the, and I quote, 'shock and awe' factor." Gibbs stepped on the accelerator as the light turned green again.

"Hey!" Trisha called from the back seat. "Ya know, Gibbs, you weren't supposed to listen in on my entire conversation with Abby…" She grinned at him through the rearview mirror. "But I'm in a good mood, so I'll let it slide. But just this once," she quickly added. "So… Kate… were you, ya know, shocked that the Gunny over there sang to you?"

Kate laughed, "Oh yea, most definitely. And awed… among some other things." She reached over and squeezed Gibbs' hand.

He grasped her hand gently and smiled back at her before turning his attention to the road. Gibbs pulled the car to a stop in front of Kate's apartment building. "Do you want us to wait for you or would you rather meet me back at the house?" he asked as Kate unbuckled her seatbelt.

She thought briefly before responding. "I kind of want to grab a shower first, so why don't you two go home and I'll be over in a little bit. Is that ok?"

Gibbs leaned over and kissed Kate gently. "That's fine," he murmured against her lips. He watched as Kate left his car and walked into her building. "Trisha," Gibbs called, "you want to sit in the front seat?" When he got no reply, Gibbs turned around in the driver's seat to find his little girl fast asleep, her head leaning against the car window. He smiled before he drove off towards his house.

* * *

Trisha woke up with a start to find herself laying in her bed, snugly tucked under her blankets. She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 2:03am. She sighed and turned on her side, making an attempt to fall back to sleep. After a few more minutes of restless tossing and turning, Trisha untangled the sheets from her body and went to the kitchen for a drink of water.

After she placed her empty glass on the counter, she walked into the living room to find the television still on, the volume muted. Trisha ambled around the couch and found Gibbs and Kate asleep on the floor. Gibbs was lying flat on his back and Kate was curled into his right side, her head buried into his ribcage. Trisha smiled as she watched Kate move a little, causing Gibbs to reflexively wrap his right arm around her body.

Removing a blanket from the end of the couch, Trisha gently draped it over the sleeping pair. She sat down on the floor next to Gibbs and simply watched him sleep. Her attention soon turned to the TV as she picked up the remote from its current resting place on the floor. Trisha flipped through a few channels before she hit the cartoon station. She spent the next half hour watching the TV in silence and absentmindedly running her fingers through Gibbs' hair as he slept.

When she stopped her gentle caress, Gibbs slowly roused from his dream land. He watched Trisha's face as she stared at the images flashing across the silent screen, but he could tell that she was thinking instead. Gibbs picked his left hand up off the floor and gently touched Trisha's shoulder. He felt her jump at the unexpected contact. "What are you doin' up at this hour?" he whispered quietly.

Trisha relaxed under his touch and shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Gibbs nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, lay down with me."

She scooted down the carpet and crawled under the blanket she had placed on Gibbs and Kate. Trisha felt him pull her against his body as she placed her ear over his heart.

"Listening to my heart beat again, hmm?" Gibbs asked as he rubbed Trisha's back.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Makes me feel safe, Gibbs," Trisha whispered.

He fell silent again for a short time. "Hey kid?"

"Yea?" she responded.

Gibbs ran his hand up to Trisha's head and stroked her hair gently. "I just wanted to say… you know… thanks. I owe you one."

"For what?" Trisha tilted her head back so she could look up at Gibbs' face.

"Kate's here because of you. It was all your idea, Trish," he whispered as he looked down at her.

Trisha let her head drop back down as she closed her eyes again. "Yea, but you did a pretty good job yourself. And you don't owe me anything, Gibbs. Letting me be here with you like this… that's good enough for me."

Gibbs picked his head up and kissed the top of her head. "Trisha," he started slowly, "I had Abby and McGee find out where your mom and dad are buried today. After Kate goes to work tomorrow morning, if you want to, we can go see them. But only if you want to. I don't want to force you or anything. And I can wait in the car if you want me to."

She nodded. "I'd like to see them, Gibbs. But I want you right there with me." Trisha found Gibbs' hand and squeezed it.

"I can do that," he agreed. "But let's get some sleep now, ok?"

Trisha yawned. "Ok. Night, Gibbs." She moved her body and nestled her face into his neck. "Love you," she whispered.

Gibbs hugged Trisha with his left arm and Kate with his right. "Love you both," he whispered to their sleeping forms.


	23. A Small Miracle

**A/N: **Finally, an update! Was anyone else having problems uploading? I had this done for a while and wouldn't let me log in. Grrrrrr. In any event, here's the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 23 - A Small Miracle**

Morning came all too quickly for the three people sprawled across the living room carpet. Gibbs, of course, was the first one to wake. He noticed that the winter sun was already shining through his front window; the rays painting the room and splashing across the walls. Gibbs knew Kate needed to get to work and tried to gently extricate himself from both her and Trisha.

He didn't get very far. Twice he tried to gently slide Trisha off of the left side of his chest and twice Trisha moaned and quickly snuggled back into him. On the third attempt the little girl cried out in her sleep, causing Gibbs to wince and instantaneously pull Trisha's body tightly against his to offer her comfort. She quieted and moved her arm over his middle.

So instead Gibbs moved on to Kate. Her head was resting in the crook between his neck and left shoulder. "Katie," he whispered, but received no reply. Gibbs nudged the top of Kate's head with his chin. "Katie," he called again, "time to get up, baby."

Kate woke, everything a little fuzzy until her eyes adjusted to the light. "Mmmm," she moaned, "just a couple more minutes." She rubbed her face against the fabric of Gibbs' shirt and sighed, closing her eyes again.

Gibbs ran a hand up and down Kate's back. He looked at the time on the TV and frowned. "Kate," he said quietly so as to not wake up Trisha, "unless you plan on having DiNozzo and Abby hound you all day about why you were late to work… after leaving the bar with me last night…"

That was enough. She let out another sigh and slowly got up. "I'll be in the bathroom," Kate announced as she ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

"Hey," Gibbs said, "want me to make up something for breakfast?"

Kate smiled at him and shook her head no. "I'll grab something on the way to the office. Trisha's too… well, just look at her. Don't wake her up."

Gibbs watched Kate walk out of the living room, then reached for the remote and turned on the local news station. He put the subtitles on the TV so he could read what was going on. Soon Gibbs felt Trisha stir against him. He looked down to see her eyes open and close a few times. "You don't have to get up yet, kid. Go back to sleep for a while."

Trisha grunted and sat up in response. "Can we move to the couch? My back hurts."

He chuckled lightly. "You think _your_ back hurts? How do you think mine feels, huh?" Gibbs sat up slowly and moved to the sofa. "Come on," he said to Trisha, his arms outstretched towards her.

She went to Gibbs, who pulled her on top of his body. Trisha settled on his chest and got more comfortable. Gibbs nuzzled the top of her head, his morning stubble catching on her blonde hair. He rubbed her back, making lazy circles and random patterns.

"Are we still gonna go visit my mom and dad, Gibbs?" Trisha asked, sleepiness lingering in her voice.

"If you still want to, then yes," he answered.

"I still want to," she stated before she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Later on, after Kate had gone to work and Gibbs and Trisha were in the car heading to the cemetery, Gibbs got a call on his cell phone. He listened briefly before he disconnected and glanced at the little girl seated next to him. Trisha was staring out the front windshield, watching the rain that was falling and beading off the glass. 

Gibbs reached over and took her small hand in his. "You still want to do this, Trish?" he asked softly.

Trisha squeezed his hand. "Honestly... no, I don't want to. But I need to do this, Gibbs. I need to say goodbye."

He nodded solemnly and turned his attention back on the road. Once inside the cemetery gates, Gibbs parked the car behind another and climbed outside into the bleak, rainy weather.

She took a deep breath and climbed out, walking in front of the car after Gibbs. Only then did she realize that the car they had parked behind held Kate, Tony, Ducky, Abby, and McGee. Trisha shot Gibbs a questioning look.

He shrugged in response. "They all wanted to be here for you, kid."

"Yea," Tony said gently as he got out of the other car's passenger side. He walked to Trisha and put a hand on her shoulder. "We want to meet your folks." He let go of her and went to stand with the team.

Trisha looked at the people assembled before her. _'My family,'_ she thought to herself. Gibbs and Kate were holding hands, both of them looking at the tombstones surrounding them. McGee had an arm around Abby, who was holding a small black umbrella above them both. Tony and Ducky stood next to each other. When Trisha's eyes met Ducky's, he nodded at her, as if reading her mind and telling her to go. She nodded once and looked back to Gibbs, staring into his eyes briefly before turning and bolting into the rows of tombstones.

"Wait, I thought she didn't know where her mom and dad are buried?" McGee asked, a little confused.

"She doesn't," Tony replied.

McGee was silent for a moment. "Well then how---"

Ducky cut him off in mid-question. "It's just one of those things, Timothy. She'll find them. Her heart knows where to go."

Gibbs took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Come on, she needs us," he said as he headed off in the direction Trisha had ran.

* * *

When the group finally approached the grave, they found Trisha kneeling on the wet grass, leaning against the top of the rain splattered tombstone. Her face was buried in her arms. 

Even from a distance, Gibbs could see her little body shaking as she wept. He fought back his own tears as he slipped his hand from Kate's. He silently walked to the grave and knelt down next to Trisha.

Sensing a presence next to her, Trisha briefly picked her head up to find Gibbs kneeling next to her, his eyes filled with sadness. She bowed her head and began to cry harder. "I miss them so much, Gibbs," she said between sobs.

Gibbs reached out and took her into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder and grasped the back of his jacket in her small hands. "I know you do, baby. I know," he said. Gibbs moved his head and whispered into her ear so that only she could hear him. "I know it hurts, Trisha. But don't be sad. Your parents don't want you to cry for them anymore. They want you to be happy…" His voice trailed off as he tried to choke back the lump forming in his own throat.

Trisha's sobs subsided and she became silent, except for the occasional sniffle. "I still miss them," she said.

He nodded and pulled back a small distance. "Whenever you get to missing them too much, you remember this: Your parents will always be with you, no matter where you go or what you do. They'll always be up there, watching over you," Gibbs said as he pointed upwards to the sky. "And what's more important, is that they'll always be with you in here," he added, tapping the area over Trisha's heart with his index finger.

Her gaze fell to Gibbs' finger and then the grass. When she picked her head back up and looked into Gibbs' blue eyes, a small smile had returned to her face. "I love you, Gibbs," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Gibbs placed a kiss on her forehead and returned her hug, holding her tightly in his arms. "I love you too, Trisha," he whispered.

Suddenly, Abby yelled from the tree she and the others were standing under. "Oh, wow! Hey you guys, look!"

Trisha and Gibbs looked at Abby before their gaze turned to the area she was pointing to. The sight caused smiles to grace both their faces.

There in the sky, crossing the cemetery from one end to the other, was a beautiful rainbow.


	24. Bad Thoughts

**A/N:** Again, I apologize for the lack of updates. Seems like I've been doing that a lot! As for this chapter, I hadn't intended on running with this idea, but I was facing some serious writer's block and this seemed to come more easily than my other option. It's final exams week and I move out on Friday, so I probably won't update for a while again. Do review, though, I love to hear from you guys!

* * *

**Chapter 24 - Bad Thoughts**

By the time the group got to leaving the cemetery, the sun had come out and begun to dry the rain soaked earth. The drops of water on the grass and tombstones reflected the sun and sparkled.

Trisha let the others start back to the cars first; she stayed behind to say her private goodbyes. Tilting her head back and looking to the skies above, Trisha smiled. "Well, Mom… Dad, I've got to get going before Gibbs has a cow. But don't worry, he's a good guy. I'm lucky to have someone like him. And Kate, too. Come to think of it, I've got a cool older sister - that's Abby… and two big brothers - Tony and McGee… I've even got a corky grandfather who likes to tell stories - that's Ducky…"

Kate and Gibbs watched Trisha from a small distance. They could still hear her talking to her parents.

"Gibbs has taken over as my dad, and Kate has pretty much been like a mom to me. I don't think they know it, but I almost… if it weren't for them, I might be up there with you guys instead of down here." Her gaze wondered from cloud to cloud. "Things had gotten pretty bad. But then Gibbs came along and made it a whole lot better. But I'm sure you knew all that already…"

Gibbs let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "She…" he stammered at a loss for words, "she thought about taking her own life?"

Kate wrapped her arm around his waist. "She saved you from freezing to death in the woods. But looks like in the end you saved her too, Jethro."

He put his arm around her shoulders. "Kate, did you know about this?"

She shook her head. "I had no idea. She never said anything to me." Kate paused for a moment and looked at Trisha briefly before facing Gibbs. "I doubt she told anyone, Gibbs. It's not like you just go around telling people about something like that."

He nodded absentmindedly, lost in thought. "She's only eight, Katie…"

Kate shrugged. "So what? With all she's been through… It's not like there's a set age for thinking about… _suicide_."

Gibbs shuddered at the word. "Kate," he began slowly, but as he saw Trisha walking towards them he quickly finished his question. "Do you think we ought to… have the kid talk to a psychiatrist or something?" Gibbs gently grasped Kate's arm as he began to walk, pulling her with him.

She looked at Gibbs, her face laden with surprise. "I thought you hated psychiatrists?"

"I do, they're full of shit," he replied swiftly. "But I can't… I mean I don't…"

Kate stopped and put her hand on Gibbs' cheek. "You don't what, Jethro?" She stared deeply into his blue eyes and waited for him to answer.

Gibbs cupped Kate's cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist in return. "I don't want to risk losing her. I can't take that chance."

She nodded knowingly. "Maybe you should ask Ducky for his opinion first. I know he's not exactly in that field of science, but he can still give you some advice. Maybe he knows someone…"

"Ok," he agreed, "I'll ask Ducky, then." Gibbs rested his chin on the top of Kate's head just as Trisha came walking up beside them.

"What are you askin' Ducky about?" Trisha inquired, looking up at Gibbs.

Gibbs rapidly searched his brain trying to come up with a reasonable answer. "Uhhh…"

Kate filled in for him. "Well, we were thinking about having everyone over for a dinner and wanted to know if Ducky could bring some of his… English food along."

"Oh," Trisha said, finding Kate's explanation good enough. She reached for Gibbs and found his hand.

He hoisted her up and held her snugly against him. "You ready to go, kiddo?" Gibbs asked Trisha.

"Yep," she answered. She turned in Gibbs' arms and rested her chin on his shoulder.

Gibbs and Trisha went home; Kate and the rest of the team headed back to the office.

* * *

**Later That Night**

Much to Gibbs' surprise, Kate had brought Ducky to his house for dinner. Ducky brought along one of his mother's recipes and Kate had taken the opportunity to go to the grocery store with Trisha for the ingredients. That left Gibbs to talk to Ducky.

Gibbs told Ducky everything; how he and Kate had heard Trisha talking to her parents and how he was considering having Trisha see a psychiatrist.

Ducky listened intently to Gibbs' explanation. "You know this isn't my field of expertise, Jethro," he said softly.

"I know… I know," Gibbs repeated. "Still, I'm hoping for some guidance here. You know more about it than me. What do you think I should do, Ducky?"

Ducky sighed and thought for a moment. "Has she ever been to a psychiatrist before?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Her file says the FBI had their shrink talk to her after her parents were murdered. The report doesn't go into much detail," he said, shaking his head as he tried to recall what he read. "I know it never mentioned suicidal thoughts… but she was only four then."

He nodded and took a sip of the Root Beer he was holding. "Have _you_ talked to her about it?" Ducky questioned.

"And how am I supposed to talk to her? It's not like I can just throw this into a casual conversation, Duck!" Gibbs began pacing around his kitchen. "What am I supposed to say? _Gee Trisha, nice day isn't it? Think about killing yourself lately?_"

"Jethro," Ducky replied seriously, "what if you don't talk to her and something winds up happening? How would you feel then?"

Gibbs stopped walking and looked at Ducky.

"I know it won't be easy, but don't you think she's more likely to let _you_ know what she's feeling instead of some strange doctor?" Ducky tilted his head and smiled at Gibbs. "It's quite obvious that Trisha trusts you, Jethro. You need to try to talk to her first."

* * *

After dinner, when Trisha was helping Kate clear the table and the two men had retired to the living room, Trisha confronted Kate. 

"Kate, is everything ok with Gibbs?" Trisha asked quietly.

Kate turned and looked at her. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, after he brought me home today he wouldn't let me out of his sight. The only privacy I got was when I went to the bathroom! And at dinner he kept staring at me funny… something's up, Kate." Trisha paused and took the time to study her. "You know what it is, don't you? I can tell."

She glanced into the living room and sighed. "Gibbs will talk to you when the time is right, ok? It's a tough time for him, Trish." Kate dried her hands with the dishtowel. "Tell you what, I'll finish up in here. Gibbs is sitting on the couch, gobe with him. He needs it."

Trisha shook her head in agreement and walked into the living room. She went around the couch and plopped next to Gibbs onto the cushions. Trisha snuggled into Gibbs and placed her ear over his heart. She relaxed as Gibbs put his arm around her.

A little while later, Kate finished the dishes and came into the living room.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and chat with you, I must be going. It's getting close to Mother's bedtime and if I'm not there to tuck her in all Hell does indeed break loose." Ducky turned to Kate, "Caitlin, would you mind giving me a ride home?"

She caught on to Ducky's intentions quickly. "Sure, no problem," Kate answered.

Ducky said goodbye to Trisha and gave her a hug. As he passed Gibbs, who was now standing, Ducky silently mouthed the words, "Talk to her."

Gibbs nodded and shut his front door behind Ducky and Kate.


End file.
